week 8- speech acts

Question 1

what are the two levels included in speaker meaning?

Answer 1

Utterance meaning –what the sentence means in context
Communicative intention (‘force’)  –what the speaker intends by using those words

Question 2

what is logical positivism?

Answer 2

• Sentences only meaningful if conform to truth conditions
• So we need to develop an ideal language
• But then all interpersonal meaning is meaningless!
• John Austin (1911-1960)

Question 3

what are the two types of utterances

Answer 3

• Constatives(statements) can be judged true or false

* Performatives perform actions (do things with words)

Question 4

what are some performative verbs?

Answer 4

•I deny, I promise, I object, I apologise, I protest, I quit, I resign •I name (this…), I sentence you, I baptise you, I bet you, I pronounce (you…)

Question 5

what are the Appropriateness (Felicity) Conditions for doing things with words?

Answer 5

i) There must be a conventional procedure having a conventional effect (situation)
(ii) The circumstances and persons must be appropriate, as specified in the procedure (participants)
(iii) The procedure must be executed correctly and completely (execution)
(iv) The person must have the requisite thoughts, feelings or intentions (when appropriate to the act) (sincerity)

Question 6

define infelicitous

Answer 6

unfortunate; inappropriate

Question 7

define felicitous

Answer 7

well chosen or suited to the circumstances

Question 8

what is a explicit performative

Answer 8

Explicit performatives usually contain a performative verb which is apparent to the other party. It bears a clear cut meaning. In the utterance; “I promise to study,” there is a clear performative verb which is “promise”. The utterance in that case should be declarative. I

Question 9

what is an implicit performative

Answer 9

• The only way to understand that this is a performative utterance is by realizing the real intention behind that utterance.
• Here the context plays an important role in determining the intention of the interlocutor because the utterance does not bear a cut clear meaning as in the explicit performatives

Question 10

Perlocutionary act

Answer 10

Bringing about an effect on the audience (‘uptake’)

Question 11

Locutionary Act

Answer 11

Uttering a sentence in context with a given sense and reference (‘utterance’)

Question 12

Illocutionary Act

Answer 12

Making a statement, promise, apology etc. through the conventional force of the utterance (‘speech act’)

Question 13

Imperative

Answer 13

command- Be nice, Joe!

Question 14

Declarative

Answer 14

statement- Joe is nice

Question 15

Interrogative

Answer 15

question- Is Joe nice?

Question 16

Indirect Speech Acts

Answer 16

There isn’t a relationship between MOOD & Speech Act

Question 17

Direct Speech Acts

Answer 17

there is a direct relationship between the MOOD & speech act

Question 18

tautology

Answer 18

Tautology is when a second piece of information is redundant because it’s already included in another word or phrase.

Question 19

IMPLICATURE

Answer 19

additional, intentional but unstated meaning

Question 20

what are the four maxims?

Answer 20

• Quantity 1. Make your contribution as informative as is required 2. Do not make your contribution more informative than is required
• Quality 1. Do not say what you believe to be false 2. Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence - Relation - Be relevant
• Manner – be perspicuous 1. Avoid obscurity of expression 2. Avoid ambiguity 3. Be brief 4. Be orderly

Question 21

what is flouting?

Answer 21

Flouting is the blatant non-observance of a maxim while still remaining cooperative

Question 22

Standard implicatures

Answer 22

Requires the assumption that the speaker is doing their best to follow the cooperative principle, even though the result may not be optimum from the point of view of the addressee

Question 23

what is Grice’s Cooperative Principle?

Answer 23

Make your contribution such as is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged.

Question 24

Of the following performatives, which are explicit and which are implicit?

i) I’m going to kill you!
ii) You are forbidden to leave this seminar room!
iii) I apologise for calling my honourable friend a liar.
iv) Keep all medicines out of the reach of children
v) For god’s sake, eat your peas!

Answer 24

i) I’m going to kill you! (I)
ii) You are forbidden to leave this seminar room! (E)
iii) I apologise for calling my honourable friend a liar. (E)
iv) Keep all medicines out of the reach of children (I)
v) For god’s sake, eat your peas! (I)

Question 25

change ‘clean up this mess’ into an explicit performative

Answer 25

I hereby order you to clean up this mess.

Question 26

What appropriateness (felicity) conditions have not been fulfilled in the following utterances?

i) A priest baptises the wrong baby
ii) A bridegroom says the wrong words in his marriage ceremony (i.e. not those conventionally laid down at a marriage ceremony)
iii) A woman declares her love for her boyfriend with her fingers crossed behind her back

Answer 26

i) A priest baptises the wrong baby (participants)
ii) A bridegroom says the wrong words in his marriage ceremony (i.e. not those conventionally laid down at a marriage ceremony) (execution – the procedure hasn’t been executed correctly)
iii) A woman declares her love for her boyfriend with her fingers crossed behind her back (sincerity)