An Analysis of Syntactic and Pragmatic Constituents Within the Communicative Process

In this article, I argue that it is possible to distinguish between syntactic and pragmatic constituents. Typically, each class of constituents plays a distinct and complementary role within the communicative process, ensuring that the creation and understanding of meaning proceed smoothly. However, it is possible to hypothesize that pragmatic constituents deriving from free enrichment can meet speakers’ cognitive needs in some cases of semantic underdetermination and assume a quasi-sentential status. I will examine several cases where this phenomenon occurs by focusing on missing-clause conditionals to perform various speech acts. In the final part, I hypothesize that this particular form of pragmatic intrusion into semantics can also come into play in some moderate forms of non-fluent aphasia, facilitating the communication process and compensating for damage to the structural aspects of language.