What term describes the implied meaning derived from an utterance, not literally stated?

• A. Inference
• B. Connotation
• C. Implicature
• D. Assumption

Answer: (C)

Implicature is the implied meaning that a speaker communicates through an utterance without stating it directly. It relies on the listener picking up on intent and context to understand what is being suggested rather than what is literally written. For example, if someone says, “It’s getting late,” the literal words focus on time, but the implicature is a request to finish or wrap things up. This differs from connotation, which is the emotional or cultural associations attached to a word, not about what the speaker intends in a specific utterance. It also differs from inference, which is the listener’s logical conclusion drawn from evidence, and from an assumption, which is a belief taken for granted.