Assumptions are beliefs that must be shared by both speaker and listener for effective communication. Pragmatics studies the connection between context and meaning, as assumptions are often implicit. Assumption triggers, such as verbs, can be used to identify assumptions.
An assumption is a particular belief that must be held in order for a particular rhetorical structure, such as a sentence, to be understood to be correct in a given context. Both the speaker or writer and the listeners or readers need to share this underlying belief in order to communicate and understand ideas effectively. The sentence “Jane goes to the supermarket after she finishes work,” for example, includes the assumption that there is a unique individual named Jane; that she is physically able to go shopping; and that she, in fact, works. Assumptions don’t need to be deep, and often you don’t need to state them explicitly, but if different people make different assumptions, understanding can be difficult to achieve.
The assumption is specifically studied in a subfield of linguistics known as “pragmatics.” This subfield primarily examines the connection between context and meaning. A major concern of pragmatics is understanding the meaning implicit in statements. Assumption is therefore in the domain of pragmatics, because assumptions are rarely communicated explicitly and are instead generally understood implicitly. The sentence “Carl fell out of the tree,” for example, requires the assumption that Carl was, in fact, in a tree, although it need not be stated explicitly, as it can be understood without such a statement.
An assumption can be considered “real” or “potential” based on the presentation of the information being assumed. The statement “Sarah said Dave just got back from Florida” assumes that there is a unique entity called “Sarah” and that there is a unique entity called “Dave” who was, until recently, in Florida . The assumption that there is a unique entity called “Sarah” is necessary for the sentence to make sense and be considered effective. Notions that there is a unique entity named “Dave” and that that entity was, until recently, in Florida are potential assumptions because they have been reported by a third party. It’s possible that Sarah actually made that statement and she was completely wrong, thus making the assumptions about Dave and Florida false.
There are many different words and linguistic constructions, called assumption triggers, that can be used to identify assumptions. Many verbs, for example, often indicate the presence of one or more presuppositions. In the sentence, “Jacob realized his bicycle was broken,” the verb “realized” is a trigger. The realization assumes that there is a bicycle and that it is broken. Such triggers exist in many different forms, including confrontations, questions, and time clauses.
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