Pragmatics And Semantics Flashcards
1
Q
Semantics
A
A theory or framework to describe word meaning applicable to all languages
2
Q
Pragmatics
A
The branch of linguistics dealing with language used in social context, including above sentence level eg discourse of narrative
3
Q
Sentence
A
A string of words following grammatical rules, grammatically complete
4
Q
Utterance
A
Use of speech on a particular occasion, an action
5
Q
Deictic expression
A
Pointing via language
Eg here, then, this, yesterday, i, him
6
Q
Anaphora
A
- Anaphora- a deictic expression referring to an already introduced entity.
- Martin didn’t answer when he was asked about his wife.
7
Q
Meaning as a referent
A
- An utterance can refer to an object ie it is a referent.
- Therefore its meaning is dependant on that object.
- An ear (phrase) = a physical ear
- In some cases one phrase is always linked to one referent eg the pope.
- In many cases multiple phrases refer to the same referent eg capital of Thailand and Bangkok.
8
Q
Synthetic
A
- My house is warm- synthetic (adding information)
9
Q
Analytic
A
- My house has a roof- analytic (implicitly understood)
10
Q
Contradictory
A
- My house has no walls- contradictory (implicitly known to be false)
11
Q
Lexical relations
A
- Lexical relations explain a words meaning in relation to other words.
- What is the meaning of ‘big’
- Another word for ‘large’ = synonym
- The opposite of ‘small’ = antonym
- What is the meaning of ‘daffodil’
- A kind of flower = hyponym
12
Q
Hyponym
A
Hyponyms
- The meaning of one word is included in another eg ‘red’ (subordinate) ‘Scarlett’ (hyponym)
- A hyponym can be considered the intension of a word ie all cows are animals but not all animals are cows.
13
Q
Synonym
A
- The relation between two words that have the same/ similar sense:
- The theif tried to hide/conceal the evidence.
- The word choices differ in terms of stylistic, social usage and dialect associations but have the same cognitive meaning.
14
Q
Antonyms
A
- Basically, oppositness of meaning.
- This can be further categorised:
- Binary- a pair whose meanings together exhaust all meanings eg true/false, same/different, dead/alive.
- Converses, same relationship but opposite order eg parent/child, below/above, own/belong.
- Gradable- opposite of a scale eg tall/short, hot/cold, love/hate.
- Multi incompatibles- more than one difference eg chalk/cheese, ram/hen.
15
Q
What is discourse
A
- It requires utterances generated by two or more conversational partners
- Co-text is generated
- Context (the whole of the relevant societal circumstances: assumed shared knowledge, nonverbal communication) is required to interrupt each others meaning.
- Level of shared knowledge determines how well you can infer meaning and is dependant on how well you know each other.
16
Q
Code model
A
- This offers a basic model for explaining conversation.
- Information source- produces message.
- Transmitter- encodes message.
- Channel- signals adapted for transmission.
- Receiver- receives signals and decodes it.
17
Q
Problems with code model
A
- It cannot explain how a conversation partner interprets:
- Ambiguity: I’m here now
- Reference: ill wait for you on the bench
- Non literalness: give me a minute.
- Indirectness: put kettle on
18
Q
Assertive
A
- Assertive: this is a great school (to commit to the speaker a truth)
19
Q
Directives
A
- Directives: pass the butter (to get heater to do something)
20
Q
Expressives
A
- Expressives: I love the french coast (to express psychological state of speaker to the propositional content of the utterance)
21
Q
Declarations
A
- Declarations: with this ring I wed (to directly enact meaning of words)
22
Q
Cooperative principle
A
- Our talk exhales are to some degree at least cooperative efforts (Grice,1989)
- Contextual conditions supersede all other criteria and taxonomy. SA theory does not adequately take this into account.
Grimes conversational maxims - A means to describe conversation not perspective.
- Quantity- as much information as required, not more.
- Quality- truthful, not lacking in evidence.
- Relation- relevant.
- Manner- avoiding obscurity and ambiguity. Brief and orderly.
23
Q
Grimes conversational maxims
A
- A means to describe conversation not perspective.
- Quantity- as much information as required, not more.
- Quality- truthful, not lacking in evidence.
- Relation- relevant.
- Manner- avoiding obscurity and ambiguity. Brief and orderly.
24
Q
Conversational implicatures
A
- Grice described making conversational implicatures, eg using contextual factors and conversational conventions to inform our interpretation of speaker meaning.
- These change according to:
- The conversational partner
- The context
- Speakers intentions
- Speakers and hearers beliefs
- What is in the common ground/shared beliefs?
25
Q
Coherence vs cohesion
A
- Cohesion (explicit links):
- It was freeing SO I got a coat (causal linking words)
- I’ve broken my phone I am lost without IT (anaphoric deictic expression)
- Coherence (implicit links):
- It was raining, I came back”
26
Q
Story grammar
A
- Cohesion conjunctive devices link narrative elects in a particular way, demonstrating different degrees of narrative skill.
- Additive: And, or, furthermore, similarly, in addition
- Adversative: but, however, on the other hand, never the less.
- Casual: so, because, consequently, for this reason, it follows that.
- Temporal: then, after that, whilst, finally, during.
- Cohersion can be generated by the use of co reference ie linking two lexical items referring to the same thing.
27
Q
Repetition
A
- Repetition: the boy and the dog walked all the way home. By the time they got home the boy and the dog were exhausted.
- Complexity of cohesion develops with age and linguistic competence.
28
Q
Partial repetition
A
- Partial repetition: the store manager had word for the company for 30 years. On the last day the team presented the manager with a framed certificate.
29
Q
Lexical replacement
A
- Lexical replacement: the band arrived at the party late. The performers got straight to work setting up their instruments.
30
Q
Pronoun substitution
A
- Pronoun substitution: at the end of the night the band packed away again. They set off in their van as soon as they were ready.
31
Q
Elision
A
- Elision: spring is a great time of the yearq but summer is ( ) too.
32
Q
Macro story features
A
- Character descriptions (internal states)
- Setting descriptions (when and where)
- Initiating event
- Plan
- Action
- Complication
- Consequence
33
Q
Narrative discourse
A
- A narrative is also fundamentally interactive.
- It requires making the strory engaging and meaningful for the listener.
- Recognising and adjusting to listner needs.
- Offering more or less information so required.
- Repairing breakdown in understanding.
- Making the key points clear.
34
Q
How would semantic and pragmatic difficulties manifest in clinical populations
A
- Difficulties when turn taking
- Difficulties responsding to conversation partner needs
- Less proficient event narration
- Poor interpretation of inferred meaning
- Word finding difficulties
- Limitations in word knowledge
