Pragmatics Google Slides Flashcards
what is the definition of impliciture?
the action of implying a meaning beyond the literal sense what is explicitly stated
give an example of impliciture
saying the frame is nice when you dont like the picture in it
what is a david crystal quote about pragmatics?
pragmatics studies the factors that govern our choice of language in social interaction and the effect of our choice on others
what did george keith say about pragmatics?
pragmatics is all about the meanings between the lexis and grammar and the phonology. meanings implied and the rules being followed are unspoken, unwritten ones.
define pragmatics
what is said without EXPLICITLY being said
what is schema?
a bundle of knowledge about a concept, person or event. schemas are built up from our experience in the world and are dynamic (they can be amended (modified) or enlarged)
why is schematic knowledge required to understand a persons impliciture?
for example if some one said your cake would be a ‘good showstopper’ you would need to draw upon GBBO schema to understand the cake is visually impressive
what can we assume when someone speaks to us?
they intend to convey a meaning, therefore the communication is essentially a cooperative enterprise between the speaker and listener
what was a way the cooperative principle was explained?
through the use of what , linguist and philosopher , Paul Grice called conversational maxims
what are Grice’s conversational maxims?
-quantity (do not say too little or too much)
-quality (speak the truth)
-relevance (stay on topic)
-manner (be clear and avoid ambiguity)
what does grice think will happen when the maxims are flouted (intentionally or unintentionally)
they give rise to implicatures that listeners are intended to infer from the speakers comments
why would someone flout a maxim?
usually doing it intentionally for certain purposes/effects or they are doing it in an obvious way as they want the listener to notice
why would someone violate a maxim?
they usually don’t realise they are doing it
(situation: at a concert) A : What do you think of the concert?
B: what time did you say we were leaving?
What is intended and how?
speaker B flouts the maxim of relevance by using an interrogative to change the topic. the implicature implied here by speaker a could be that speaker be does not like the concert.
who developed the idea of positive and negative face needs?
Erving Goffman
what is a positive face need?
feeling appreciated and valued, met through the use of positive politeness strategies
what is a negative face need?
the desire to feel independent and not imposed upon,met through the use of negative politeness strategies
what is the face threatening act?
a speech act that was the potential to damage someones self asteem either in the terms of positive or negative face. when direct request or offensive remarks are used instead of positive/negative strategies
who proposed the idea of positive politeness strategies?
linguists, penelope brown and stephen levinson
what are politeness strategies?
they are used to make the hearer feel good about themselves and are most usually used in situations where the audience knows each other fairly well.
what are some examples of positive politeness?
-statements of friendships
-complements
-offers or promises
-exaggerated interest in the listener
-inclusive humor
what are negative politeness strategies?
mitigating the imposition on others ( give the worry to them)
what is an example of hedging?
er, could you, er , prehaps, , close the, um, window
what is an example of pessimism
i dont suppose you could possibly close the window
what is an example of indicating deference
excuse me sir would you mind if i asked you to close the window
what is an example of apologising
im terribly sorry to put you out but could you close the window
what is an example of impersonalisation
the management requires all windows to be closed
what are the options for this scenario?
person A is reading quietly on a train, person B who was been sitting next to him turns up their music reducing A’s ability to concentrate
given that saying something is likely to threaten B’s face needs , A now has a number of choices…
threaten face : by using a direct request addressing the problem and not worrying about B’s reaction. (turn that awful music down!)
positive politeness strategy : addresses B’s positive face needs , say something complimentory at the start (thats a great album isnt it? )
negative politeness strategy : address’s B’s negative face needs , this might include apologising before sepaking and try to minimalise the level of imposition ( im really sorry to ask you this but..)
