A Pragmatic Study of Contextual language Use of AI in Selected Texts From Kazuo Ishiguro’s Novel Klara and the Sun
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35516/Hum.2026.9752Keywords:
Context, Pragmatics, Implicature, AI, Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro.Abstract
Objectives: This study aims to analyze the concept of AI within the framework of implicature theory. As technology advances, AI acts as a transformative force that significantly impacts all aspects of contemporary society, including the economy, politics, culture, and education. It is reshaping the world in unprecedented ways, creating extraordinary challenges and opportunities. However, linguistic studies have not addressed the concept of AI from a linguistic perspective within its pragmatic dimensions, despite its numerous aspects that have influenced most facets of modern life.
Methods: The researchers selected eight texts from Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Klara and the Sun. The primary goal of this qualitative study is to analyze how AI characters, particularly Klara, understand and respond to different aspects of language, including implicature, as well as to explore the impact of context on AI-human interactions within the selected texts.
Results: This study demonstrates that the context of a text serves as a channel for implicit communication and subtly guides interpretations. The researchers examined AI-related concepts through the lens of pragmatics, adopting Grice’s Implicature Theory (1975), which identifies different types of implicature, such as particularized conversational implicature, generalized conversational implicature, conventional implicature, and conceptual implicature.
Conclusion: This study illustrates the concept of AI through the character of Klara, an artificial companion designed to provide emotional support to children. The analysis suggests that context is a crucial element in pragmatics, as it aids in understanding implicit meanings. Additionally, language prompts readers to reassess the distinctions between humans and machines.
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