# On the Optimality of Vagueness: "Around", "Between", and the Gricean Maxims

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.11841 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2008.11841/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 26 Aug 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Combining Vagueness Detection with Deep Learning to Identify Fake News](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.14780/) (2021)
- [HYBRINFOX at CheckThat! 2024 -- Task 2: Enriching BERT Models with the Expert System VAGO for Subjectivity Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.03770/) (2024)
- [Explaining vague language](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.18154/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Why is ordinary language vague? We argue that in contexts in which a cooperative speaker is not perfectly informed about the world, the use of vague expressions can offer an optimal tradeoff between truthfulness (Gricean Quality) and informativeness (Gricean Quantity). Focusing on expressions of approximation such as "around", which are semantically vague, we show that they allow the speaker to convey indirect probabilistic information, in a way that can give the listener a more accurate representation of the information available to the speaker than any more precise expression would (intervals of the form "between"). That is, vague sentences can be more informative than their precise counterparts. We give a probabilistic treatment of the interpretation of "around", and offer a model for the interpretation and use of "around"-statements within the Rational Speech Act (RSA) framework. In our account the shape of the speaker's distribution matters in ways not predicted by the Lexical Uncertainty model standardly used in the RSA framework for vague predicates. We use our approach to draw further lessons concerning the semantic flexibility of vague expressions and their irreducibility to more precise meanings.