TY - JOUR
T1 - Intersubjectivity, deception and the 'opacity of other minds'
T2 - Perspectives from Highland New Guinea and beyond
AU - Rumsey, Alan
PY - 2013/7
Y1 - 2013/7
N2 - How are we to understand the widely attested claim from around the world that one can never know the thoughts of another? Here I consider that question as it arises in the Ku Waru region of Highland Papua New Guinea. Drawing on evidence from three kinds of speech events, I show that the Opacity Doctrine there is less about the problem of knowing other minds than about the possibility that others might be hiding their intentions. In order to understand its consequences for everyday life, I argue for the importance of distinguishing among: (1) metapragmatic discourse about minds and intentions; (2) discourse pragmatics; and (3) the more inclusive realm of intercorporeal engagement in which 1 and 2 are grounded.
AB - How are we to understand the widely attested claim from around the world that one can never know the thoughts of another? Here I consider that question as it arises in the Ku Waru region of Highland Papua New Guinea. Drawing on evidence from three kinds of speech events, I show that the Opacity Doctrine there is less about the problem of knowing other minds than about the possibility that others might be hiding their intentions. In order to understand its consequences for everyday life, I argue for the importance of distinguishing among: (1) metapragmatic discourse about minds and intentions; (2) discourse pragmatics; and (3) the more inclusive realm of intercorporeal engagement in which 1 and 2 are grounded.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84884206936&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.langcom.2013.06.003
DO - 10.1016/j.langcom.2013.06.003
M3 - Article
SN - 0271-5309
VL - 33
SP - 326
EP - 343
JO - Language and Communication
JF - Language and Communication
IS - 3
ER -