conversational inference
the process by which people engaged in a conversation can frequently infer the meanings intended by the other speakers, even when these are unstated or inexplicit. Such inferences will be based partly on a knowledge of the personal background and general context but more importantly on an awareness of conversational norms within a particular culture and the expectations that these create. Conversational inference does not depend on logical inference. For example, if a speaker says My boss has been sober all week, most listeners will understand that this person is frequently drunk, even though such an inference is not valid in logic. The listeners will assume, probably correctly, that such a statement would not be made in such a form unless it reflected an exceptional, rather than the usual, state of affairs. See also implicature; indirect speech act.