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Pragmatics
Chapter 11
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Semantics and Pragmatics
Semantics: The study of meaning of words, phrases, and sentences
What the speaker means and NOT what he/she is trying to say
Can speakers communicate more than that which is explicitly stated?
How would you ask someone to stop smoking?
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What is Pragmatics?
A: I have a fourteen year old son. B: well that’s all right.
A: I also have a dog.
B: Oh I’m sorry.
Depends on the context and the
communicative intentions of the speakers
Pragmaticsthe study of what speakers mean.
More is communicated than what is actually
said or written. 4
Invisible meaning
•Does this mean that the shop is selling babies?
•We understand the message although the word ‘clothes’ is not there.
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Context
Amazingly, he already loves her.
the linguistics meaning is clear but the context in which the sentence occurs is vague.
John met Mary yesterday.
Amazingly, he already loves her.
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Context
Linguistic context: co-text
How a word is related to other words in the sentence
E.g. bank (homonymy), which meaning is based on the linguistic context.
Physical context real-world referent
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Deixis
Words that cannot be interpreted unless the physical context of the speaker is known
You’ll have to bring that back tomorrow, because they aren’t here today.
Person deixisfirst and second person pronouns (my –mine –you- ours)
spatial deixislocation (here- there, near that)
Temporal deixistomorrow- now- last week
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Reference
A
n act by which a speaker uses language to enable the listener to identify something.Chomsky, the cat, he, the table
These words can be used to refer to many entities in the world
We refer to things we’re not sure what to call them
That blue thing
That icky stuff
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Inference
We saw Shakespeare in London
The use of name of people to refer to things- connect what is said to what must be meant
Where’s the caesar salad sitting?
Can I borrow your Chomsky?
Sure it’s on the table
Jennifer is wearing Calvin Klein.
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Anaphora
Can I borrow your book? I borrowed a book Yeah, it’s on the table. The book is interesting
Referential relationship between book and it
o Book / a bookantecedent it/ the bookanaphora
o Anaphora: reference to an already introduced entity.
o Created using pronoun (it), the repetition of the N with
‘the’or the use of another N that is related to the
antecedent by inference.
o I was waiting for the bus, but he drove by without stopping
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Presupposition
We design our linguistic message on the basis of assumptions about what the hearer knows.
What the speaker assumes is true or known by the hearer-presupposition
E.g. when will you graduate?
Presupposition- you’re a college student
When did you stop smoking cigars?
Presupposition- you used to smoke and you no longer do so
o Negation test
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Speech Acts
The use of language to do things-to perform a certain act
We recognize the type of ‘action’performed by the speaker from the utterance.
Speech actan action performed by a speaker with an utterance like requesting, commanding, question and informing
E.g. I’ll be here by 6- promising
Two kinds
direct speech acts
indirect speech acts
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Direct Speech Acts
Get an A on the test
Causes others to behave in a certain way imperative
Orders &
requests
“Did Jenny get an A on the test?"
Elicits information Interrogative
Question
"Jenny got an A on the test” Convey
information Declarative
Assertion
examples Function
Sentence Type Speech
Act
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Indirect Speech Acts
Indirect commands or requests.
Indirect request-Can you pass the salt please?
Indirect command-you left the door open.
Visitor: Excuse me. Do you know where the Ambassador Hotel is?
Passer-by: oh sure I do (walks away)
More polite or gentle
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Politeness
The concept of ‘face’- emotional and social sense of self.
Politeness in Linguistics-
being aware of another person’s face.
Face-threatening act & face-saving act
E.g. Give me that paper! Vs. Can you please give me that paper?
Appropriate language to mark politeness differs from one culture to another.
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Negative & positive face
Negative face : the need to be independent
I’m sorry to bother you…
I know you’re busy but…
If you’re free,…
Positive face : the need to be a member of the group
Let’s do this together…
You and I have the same problem
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