pragmatics Flashcards
pragmatics
study meaning in interaction taking into account the speaker and the hearer
parts of pragmatics
disambiguation, reference assignment, conceptual adjustment, recovery of inarticulated constituents, identification of S attitudes/intention, implicit content
performative actions
self-referential, self-verifying, non-falsifiable, felicity conditions
austin’s illocutionary acts
expositives, verdictives, comissives, exercitives, behabatives
expositives
statements or opinions about state of affairs
eg. state, affirm, deny, insist
verdictives
give a verdict
eg. declare, name, analyse, estimate
commissive (austin)
commit the speaker to doing something, or announce something
eg. promise, propose
exercitive
exert power or influence
eg. demand, order, advise
behabative
express attitude or emotion of speaker
eg. thank, congratulate, apologise
austin’s felicity conditions
1 - conventionally with correct people and conditions
2 - carried out correctly and completely
3 - genuine emotion, viewed as binding
conventionally indirect speech acts
semantics don’t tell the meaning but expression has become conventionally appropriate
non-conventionally indirect speech acts
semantics doesn’t tell meaning and hearer must make inference
searle’s criteria
illocutionary point, direction of fit, psychological state, propositional content
searle’s speech acts
assertives, declaratives, directives, commissives, expressives
assertives
something being the case
have truth values
words to world
S belief that p
declaratives
express change in state in immediate way
propositional content relates to the world
both direction of fit
no psychological state
directive
attempt to make H perform an action
cause H to do
world to words
S intention that H do
commissive (searle)
commit S to future action
future action
world to words
S intention to do
expressive
express how S feels
S’s attitude in propositional content
no direction of fit
different psychological states
searle’s felicity conditions
propositional content
preparatory conditions - participants and things involved
sincerity conditions
essential conditions - consequence of action
cooperative principle
communicators work together to establish what is being communicated with a shared goal
CP maxims
quality, quantity, relation, manner
maxim of quality
be truthful, do not say for which you lack evidence
maxim of quantity
be concise, informative, do not give more information than necessary
maxim of relevance
be relevant
maxim of manner
be orderly, be brief, do not be ambiguous or obscure
implicature
meaning communicated by speaker intentionally and implicitly. deduced by inferential ability
implications
conclusions made by hearer by observing S attitude, may not be intended
conventionalised implicature
follow from meaning that has become conventionally appropriate - encoded
generalised conversational implicature
follow from when words are used, unless specifically cancelled
not context-dependent but rely on specific aspects
particularised conversational implicature
follow from when words are used, depending on context and maxims
characteristics of implicature
non-detachable, context-dependency, cancelability, calculability
generating implicature
failure to fulfill maxims or flouting maxims
unostentatious maxims
non-observance is not obvious
maxim infringement
accidental violation of maxim
opting out
unwillingness
suspending a maxim
violation of maxim for cultural/contextual reason
flouting the maxim
blatantly ignoring maxim
clash of maxims
to perform one, another must be violated
politeness
the linguistic encoding of social interaction
a way of treating people and taking other people’s feelings into account
aim to avoid interpersonal conflict
rule of politeness
lakoff
be clear (CP) and be polite
formality, hesitancy, camararderie
formality
social distance or hierarchy, do not impose
hesitancy
give options, social distance but equilibrium
camararderie
same status, be nice, make H feel good
politeness principle
leech
to be polite S expresses meaning favourable to H or unfavourable to S
6 maxims of PP
tact, generosity, approbation, modesty, agreement, sympathy
tact
give a low value to S want
minimise cost to H
maximise H benefit
generosity
give high value to H want
minimise S benefit
maximise S cost
approbation
give high value to H qualities
minimise indifference of H
maximise approval of H
modesty
give low value to S qualities
minimise S praise
maximise S indifference
agreement
give high value to H opinion
minimise disagreement
maximise agreement
sympathy
give high value to H feeling
minimise antipathy
maximise sympathy
negative politeness
minimising impoliteness of impolite acts
positive politeness
maximising politeness of polite acts
illocutions of PP
competitive, convivial, collaborative, conflictive
competitive
challenge social relationship, negative politeness
eg. ordering, demanding, commanding
convivial
enhance social relationship, positive politeness
eg. offering, inviting, congratulating
collaborative
indifferent to politeness
eg. stating, affirming
conflictive
damage, cause offence
eg. insulting, threatening
face-saving model
brown + levinson
face is a universal feature that is the personal concept an individual has of themself, created through interaction
negative face
the desire that actions be unhindered, want to have freedom
positive face
the desire that one’s desires be viewed as desirable
threaten H negative face
demanding, warning, advising, ordering
threaten H positive face
insulting, criticising, disagreeing
threaten S negative face
accepting help/gratitude, promising
threaten S positive face
apologising
factors affecting FTAs
power, social distance, rank of imposition
power
asymmetric relationship
legitimate (hierarchy), referent (skill), expert (knowledge)
social distance
symmetrical relationship, companionship
rank of imposition
‘pain’ given to H face
baldly on the record
emergency
power over H
difficulties in communicative channel
on the record, with redressive action by use of positive politeness
cooperativeness with H
common ground
membership
joke
attend H needs
exaggeration
give options/reasons
reciprocity
optimism
on the record, with redressive action by use of negative politeness
indirectness
do not coerce H
apologise
show indebtedness
do not presuppose
pessimism
deferential
state as if were rule
nominalisation
off the record
violate maxims
quality - contradict, irony, metaphors
quantity - exaggerate, understate
relevance - hint, say something different
manner - incompleteness, vague, generalise
bald on the record impoliteness
damage H face
positive impoliteness
threaten H positive face - ignoring desire to be liked
negative impoliteness
threaten H negative face - demanding from H
off the record impoliteness
implicatures
withheld politeness
not doing a polite action
impoliteness metastrategies
insincere, irony, sarcasm
conversational contract
fraser & nolen
set of rules and obligations in conversation
adequacy
CC politeness systems
solidarity, deference, hierarchical
deference
[-P, +D]
negative politeness and off record
solidarity
[-P, -D]
positive politeness
hierarchical
[+P, -/+D]
power - all three
subject - negative, off-record
rapport management
spencer-oatey
rapport = harmony in social relationships
3 factors of successful rapport management
face sensitivities, rights/obligations, interactional goals
rapport orientations
maintenance, enhancement, challenge, neglect
