Pragmatics Flashcards
Pragmatics
The study of intended speaker meaning is called pragmatics. In the normal context of our present society, we assume that this store has not gone into the business of selling young children over the counter, but rather that it is advertising clothes for babies. Linguistic context, also known as co- text. The co- text of a word is the set
of other words used in the same phrase or sentence.
Physical context
If you see the word BANK on the wall of building in a city, the physical location will influence your interpretation.
Deixis
There are some words in the language that can not be interpreted at all unless the physical context, especially the physical context of the speaker, is known. These are words like here, there, this, that, now, then, yesterday, as well as most pronouns, such as I, you, him, her and them. Any expression used to point to a person (me, you, him, them) is an example of person deixis words used to point to a location (here, there, yonder) are example
of place deixis and those used to point to a time (now, then- tonight, last week) are example of time deixis.
reference
We have to define reference as an act by which a speaker (or writer) uses language to enable a listener (or reader) to identify something. We can use names associated with things (salad) to refer to people
and names of people (Chomsky) to refer to things. The key process here is called inference. An inference is any additional information used by the listener to connect
what is said to what must be meant.
Anaphora
When we establish a referent (can I borrow your book?) and subsequ-ently refer to the same object (Yeah, it’s on the table) we have a particular kind of referential relationship between book and it. The second (and any subsequent) referring expression is an example of anaphora and the first mention is
called the antecedent. Thus, book is the antecedent and it is the anaphoric expression.
presupposition
What a speaker assumes is true or is known by the hearer can be described as a presupposition. If someone tells you “Your brother is waiting outside for you”, there is an obvious presupposition that you have a brother. One of the tests used to check for the presuppositions underlying sentences involves negating a sentence with a particular presupposition and considering whether the presupposition remains true. Take the sentence “My car
is a wreck”. Now take the negative version of this sentence. “My car is not a wreck”. Notice that, although these two sentences have opposite meaning, the underlying presupposition,
I have a car, remains true in both. This is called the constancy under negation test for presupposition.
speech act
The use of the term speech act covers actions such as requesting; commanding, questio-ning and informing.
When a form such as Did he….? Are they ….? Or can you….? Is used to ask a question, it is described as a direct speech act. Indirect speech act: Whenever one of the forms in the set above is used to perform a function other than the one
listed beside it (on the same line) the result is an indirect speech act. The following utterance has the form normally associated with a statement. You left the door open.
If you say this sentence to some one who has just come into your room (and it’s pretty cold outside). You should probably be understood to have made
not a statement, but a request. You are requesting, indirectly, that the person close the door. Used in this way, it is another example of an indirect speech act.
Politeness
There are several ways to think of politeness. These might involve ideas like being tactful, modest and nice to other people. In the study of linguistic politeness, the most relevant concept is face. Your face in pragmatics is your public self- image. This is the emotional and social sense of self that every person has and expects every
one else to recognize. Politeness is showing awareness of another person’s face.
a face-threatening act
If you say some thing that represents a threat to another person’s self image that is called a face-threatening act. For example if you use a direct speech act to order some one to do something (Give me that paper) you are acting as if you have more social power. Then you are performing a fact- threatening act. An indirect speech act in the form of a question (could you pass me that paper, place)
removes the assumption of social power. You appear to be asking about ability. This makes your request less threatening to the other person’s sense of self whenever you
say something that lessens the possible threat to another’s fact, it’s called a fact- saving act. You have both a negative face and a positive face.
Your negative face is the need to be independent and to have freedom from imposition. Your positive face is your need to be connected, to belong to be
a member of the group. Thus, a face- saving act that emphasizes a person’s negative fact will show concern about imposition (I’m sorry to bother you…; I know you’re busy, but …).
a face-threatening act
If you say some thing that represents a threat to another person’s self image that is called a face-threatening act. For example if you use a direct speech act to order some one to do something (Give me that paper) you are acting as if you have more social power. Then you are performing a fact- threatening act. An indirect speech act in the form of a question (could you pass me that paper, place)
removes the assumption of social power. You appear to be asking about ability. This makes your request less threatening to the other person’s sense of self whenever you
say something that lessens the possible threat to another’s fact, it’s called a fact- saving act. You have both a negative face and a positive face.
Your negative face is the need to be independent and to have freedom from imposition. Your positive face is your need to be connected, to belong to be
a member of the group. Thus, a face- saving act that emphasizes a person’s negative fact will show concern about imposition (I’m sorry to bother you…; I know you’re busy, but …).
