Metacontexts and Cross-Contextual Communication

Stabilizing the Content of Documents Across Contexts

Bibliographic Data

ID10691059
AuthorsAlex Davies (0000-0001-9978-0665, University of Tartu, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume74
Issue2
Pages482-503
Publication date2024-03-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Philosophical Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0031-8094 • E-ISSN: 1467-9213
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/pq/pqad071
OpenAlexW4385939408
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited53

Context-sensitive expressions appear ill suited to the purpose of sharing content across contexts. Yet we regularly use them to that end (in regulations, textbooks, memos, guidelines, laws, minutes, etc.). This paper describes the utility of the concept of a metacontext for understanding cross-contextual content-sharing with context-sensitive expressions. A metacontext is the context of a group of contexts: an infrastructure that can channel non-linguistic incentives on content ascription so as to homogenize the content ascribed to context-sensitive expressions in each context in the group. Documents composed of context-sensitive expressions can share content across contexts when supported by an appropriate metacontext. The bible has its church, the textbook its education system, the form its bureaucracy, and the manifesto its social movement. Some metacontexts support cross-contextual content-sharing. Some don’t. A promising research programme (one with practical importance) would take metacontexts as its unit of analysis

Ascription · Bureaucracy · Content (measure theory) · Context (archaeology) · Incentive · Linguistics · Manifesto · Political science · Computer Science · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Law · Social Media and Politics · Wikis in Education and Collaboration

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