More Related Content
Pragmatics
- 1. University of the Punjab Department of English Language & Literature Lahore, Pakistan
- 2. Pragmatics • Pragmatics studies : – How utterances are used – Its about interpreting what speakers mean
- 3. Sentences vs. Utterances Sentence: A string of words put together by the grammatical rules of a language • Sentences are abstract idealizations, not physical events Utterance: the use of a sentence, in a particular context • Utterances are actual, physical events Meaning of Sentence & Utterance The meaning of a sentence can usually be derived from the meaning of its words Utterances can derive meaning from context which they can‟t derive from their abstract form as sentences
- 4. The Interpretation of Messages • Based on: –knowledge of the meaning of the word –knowledge about the context
- 5. Linguistic Context • Linguistic context/ co-text : – set of other words used in the same phrase or context – As the word „pupil‟ is a homonym – How do we know which meaning is intended? • Usually by means of the linguistic context: – If it is used in a sentence with words like „teacher‟, „classmates‟ etc. – we understand that pupil here means ? – If it is used in a sentence with words like „eye‟, „dilatation‟ we know that here it means ?
- 6. Physical Context • Physical context: – if the location will influence interpretation • If you see a sign like this near a school: – SLOW DOWN. PUPILS CROSSING THE STREET – It does not mean that you have to slow down because you could run over eye-pupils and reduce them to a pulp
- 7. Language in Context The intended meaning of whole exchanges depends on: Context Intentions Shared knowledge, also Cultural implications If we don‟t have a context or some knowledge about a situation, the meaning can be „invisible‟
- 8. Examples A: I have a 14 year old son B: Well that‟s right A: I also have a dog B: Oh, I‟m sorry Can you understand the meaning of this exchange? It would be hard to catch it,unless you know that A. is trying to rent an apartment from B. B. doesn‟t accept pets - have you seen Sam? - the black car is over there. This seemingly incoherent text can be easily understood if we know that Sam owns a black car.
- 9. Deixis • Deixis comes from Greek and it means ‘pointing’by means of language • words that cannot be interpreted alone, without being put in a context if used without a shared knowledge or a clear context can result very vague • Person deixis: I, you, them • Place deixis: Here, there, that, • Time deixis: now – You’ll have to bring them back by tomorrow, because they aren’t here now and they need them
- 10. THEORIES Speech acts theory Relevance theory Cooperation theory Argumentation theory
- 11. SPEECH ACTS THEORY Words do not have meaning by themselves
- 12. Speech Acts • we can use language to do things • When we use language to do something, we are performing a speech act • What can we do with the following expressions? 1. Time out! 2. Shotgun! 3. Jinx! • The “meaning” of these expressions is what they do. (i.e., the use we put them to.)
- 13. Expression and Meaning Assertives: (stating, suggesting, boasting, predicting, guessing …) Directives: (ordering, demanding, requesting, inviting, permitting …) Commissives: (promising, offering, refusing, threatening …) Expressives: (thanking, congratulating, pardoning, blaming, praising …) Declaratives: (naming, baptizing, declaring open, appointing …)
- 14. Speech Act Examples • Speech acts can also be performed with complete sentences • John read the book. Assertion • Did John read the book? Question • Please pass the salt. Request • Kim‟s got a knife! Warning • Get out of here! Order • I will love you forever. Promise • I‟ll give you a reason to cry. Threat
- 15. Analysis of Speech Act Speech acts can be analysed by three levels - Locutionary act - Perlocutionary act - Illocutionary act
- 16. Locutionary Act • Speaker„s utterance: – The performance of an utterance – Semantic and sintactic aspects Example: „close the window’
- 17. Illocutionary Act • Speaker„s intention: – Real intended meaning Example: The person who is talking is cold
- 18. Perlocutionary Act • Hearer„s reaction: It‟s actual effect Example: The action of closing the window A:Do you smoke? B: Yes, thanks. A: I wasn‟t offering, just asking.
- 19. Locutionary act: there„s a bull in this field – just saying it Illocutionary act: the force of an utterance there„s a bull in this field – warning Perlocutionary act: the effect of an utterance there„s a bull in this field – hearer is frightened, hearer avoids going into the field
- 20. COOPERATION THEORY The way in which people try to make conversations work.
- 21. The co-operative Principle • 4 Maxims (saying): – quantity – quality – relation – manner
- 22. The co-operative Principle QUANTITY: • make your contribution as informative as required • but not more or less than required
- 23. The co-operative Principle QUALITY: • do not say which you believe to be false or for which you lack evidence
- 24. The co-operative Principle RELATION: – be relevant
- 25. The co-operative Principle MANNER: be clear brief and orderly
- 26. PRAGMATIC ANALISYS Related to the situation Related to the context Related to the people Related to the information
- 27. RELATED TO THE SITUATION We adapt our conversation to different situations: depending on the place and the time where the speech occurs
- 28. RELATED TO THE PEOPLE Depending on: who you are with and the relation between those people the conversation will have different meaning Example: Ironic utterances with friends and with unknown people
- 29. RELATED TO THE CONTEXT With in the people, there are clues in the context that allow us to notice that irony (to say the opposite of what it actually means) Example: Facial expressions
- 30. RELATED TO THE INFORMATION Presuppositions about the world-knowledge of hearers; i.e meanings that can be deducted by listeners because they already know about that information
- 31. Summary • Pragmatics studies : – the uses and the effects of language • how it is based on the relationship established between: • utterance, context and interlocutors – to understanding the language in a deeply way as words do not have meaning by themselves