This book review by Lawrence Schourup discusses Stephen C. Levinson's "Presumptive Meanings: The Theory of Generalized Conversational Implicature." Levinson's theory posits that preferred interpretations, which are crucial for efficient communication, are influenced by both the content and the metalinguistic properties of utterances. He revives Grice's concept of "generalized conversational implicature" (GCI) to explain how these interpretations arise, extending it to include various forms of metalinguistic knowledge. Levinson introduces three principles linked to Gricean maxims to induce preferred interpretations and argues that GCI theory is more effective than Sperber and Wilson’s Relevance Theory (RT) in handling default inferences. The book also explores the broader implications of GCI theory for semantics, pragmatics, and grammatical theory, suggesting a reevaluation of traditional frameworks. Levinson's arguments are well-argued and provide a compelling case for the importance of GCI in understanding language use.This book review by Lawrence Schourup discusses Stephen C. Levinson's "Presumptive Meanings: The Theory of Generalized Conversational Implicature." Levinson's theory posits that preferred interpretations, which are crucial for efficient communication, are influenced by both the content and the metalinguistic properties of utterances. He revives Grice's concept of "generalized conversational implicature" (GCI) to explain how these interpretations arise, extending it to include various forms of metalinguistic knowledge. Levinson introduces three principles linked to Gricean maxims to induce preferred interpretations and argues that GCI theory is more effective than Sperber and Wilson’s Relevance Theory (RT) in handling default inferences. The book also explores the broader implications of GCI theory for semantics, pragmatics, and grammatical theory, suggesting a reevaluation of traditional frameworks. Levinson's arguments are well-argued and provide a compelling case for the importance of GCI in understanding language use.