ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a general approach to meaning. Its main argument is that meaning presents a layered structure that includes both semantic and pragmatic contents. Two principles, accessibility and strength, explain why these layers do not make it difficult to access intentions and communications. These principles are complementary because what is strong is less accessible, and what is accessible is either strong or weak. These double-bind principles explain why meaning matters beyond verbal communication. This approach also gives an explanation for the dual dimension of meaning, which is either conventional or inferential. The main outcome of the layered approach to meaning is the selective nature of what is chosen as the speaker's meaning: only some of the inferred contents are assessed as true, while others are abandoned or refused. The chapter concludes with a discussion of humour and nonsense, which are clear counterexamples of the layered theory of meaning. It also explains why humour is risky and often unsuccessful in certain communicative contexts, such as political contexts.
