Entailment (pragmatics)

Entailment in pragmatics is like having a twin brother or sister - everything that happens to the one twin also happens to the other. It means that when we say something, we imply or suggest some other idea or meaning that is directly connected with it.

For example, if you say "I have a dog," someone might understand that you also have a pet, that the pet is a four-legged animal, or that you are probably an animal lover. These ideas are all connected to the main idea of you having a dog.

Entailment works by taking one thing we know, like a statement or a fact, and finding other related things that we can assume or imply because of that. It's like solving a puzzle or connecting the dots, but instead of lines, we connect ideas.

Sometimes, entailment can lead to misunderstandings or miscommunication if the listener or reader doesn't share the same knowledge or assumptions as the speaker or writer. So it's important to always check if we understand what the other person means when they make an implied statement.