Language level 5: Pragmatics

Question 1

what is embodied knowledge

Answer 1

• knowledge that’s associated w/ memories of physically experiencing something e.g. sights and smells of visiting a city

Question 2

What is a schema

Answer 2

• a bundle of knowledge about a concept, person or event

Question 3

What is a co-text

Answer 3

• other words or phrases surrounding a word in a text

Question 4

what is the co-operative principle

Answer 4

• the general principle that people work together to communicate

Question 5

What are conversational maxims

Answer 5

• explicit principle that provide a backdrop for conversation to take place so that speakers can easily understand one another

Question 6

What is implicature

Answer 6

• an implied meaning that has to be inferred by a speaker as a result of one of the maxims being broken

Question 7

List Paul Grice’s (1975) conversational maxims

Answer 7

• maxim of quantity
• maxim of quality
• maxim of relevance
• maxim of manner

Question 8

explain the maxim of quantity

[Paul Grice 1975]

Answer 8

• to not say too little or too much

Question 9

explain the maxim of quality

[Paul Grice 1975]

Answer 9

• to speak the truth

Question 10

explain the maxim of relevance

[Paul Grice 1975]

Answer 10

• to keep what is being discussed relevant to the topic in hand

Question 11

explain the maxim of manner

[Paul Grice 1975]

Answer 11

• to be clear and avoid ambiguity

Question 12

what is a ‘super-maxim’

Answer 12

• being polite by being mindful of others’ personal or face needs

Question 13

who developed the theory of ‘face needs’

Answer 13

• Erving Goffman (1955)

Question 14

what is meant by the term ‘positive face need’

Answer 14

• a universal human need to feel valued and appreciated

Question 15

what is meant by the term ‘negative face need’

Answer 15

• a universal human need to feel independent and not be imposed upon

Question 16

what is meant by the term ‘face threatening act’

Answer 16

• a speech act that has the potential to damage someone’s self-esteem either in terms of positive or negative face

Question 17

what is meant by the term ‘politeness strategies’

Answer 17

• distinctive ways in which speakers can choose to avoid threatening face

Question 18

what is a deixis

Answer 18

• words that are context bound and meanings depend on who is using them and where and when they’re being used e.g. this/ that, here/ there

Question 19

what are the deictic categories

Answer 19

• they’re types of deictic expressions

- personal, spacial and temporal

Question 20

what is proximal deixis

Answer 20

• deictic expressions that refer to concept, events or people near/ close to the speaker e.g. here, now, come

Question 21

what is distal deixis

Answer 21

• deictic expressions that refer to concepts, events or people at a distance from the speaker e.g. there, then, go