1 / 33

Pragmatics

Pragmatics. LI 2013 Nathalie F. Martin. So What Are You Saying?. Question: Would you like a burger? Answer 1: No, thank you. Answer 2: I’m on a diet. Answer 3: My husband thinks I’m fat . Answer 4: I’m a vegan.

hobrien
Download Presentation

Pragmatics

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Pragmatics LI 2013 Nathalie F. Martin

  2. So What Are You Saying? • Question: Would you like a burger? • Answer 1: No, thank you. • Answer 2: I’m on a diet. • Answer 3: My husband thinks I’m fat. • Answer 4: I’m a vegan. • The last three answers do not give a direct answer to the questions, but the answer is implied !

  3. SEMANTICS vs.PRAGMATICS • Semantics: – meaning ______________ away from users • Pragmatics: – Pragmatics is a systematic way of explaining language use in ______________ . – It seeks to explain aspects of meaning which cannot be found in the ______________ ____ of words or structures, as explained by semantics. Ex: “It is cold in here” (Implicature: request to close the window) • Semantics/pragmatics distinction: not always easy to draw

  4. PRESUPPOSITIONS What is the speaker possibly trying to say when he says: “John’s brother married that linguist.” What are the speakers _________________ : • Speaker assumes that the listener knows that John has a brother (and hence not mentioned explicitly) • that fact is presupposed • common ground • or ______________ ________(within discourse) • ‘marrying’ and/or ‘whom he married’ is ____________

  5. PRESUPPOSITIONS • The police ordered the minors to stop drinking. • Please take me out to the ball game again. • Gisèle wants more popcorn. • The captain realized that the ship was in danger.

  6. IMPLICATURE “Have you stopped going to the gym?” • Statements generate inferences beyond the semantic content of the sentences uttered.

  7. Tim Hawkins on Marriage

  8. Tim Hawkins on Marriage • PRESUPPOSITIONS: • I reallylikethatdress. It reminds me of myoldgirlfriend’s. • Presuppositions? • IMPLICATURES: • Hey honey, have yougainedsomeweight in yourrear end? • Implicature? • Wheredidyougetthoseshoes? • Implicature: I thinkthey’repretty lame! • (Won’tyoushut up, ‘cause) I’mtrying to watch the game! • Implicature?

  9. DEICTICS [daɪktɪks]  • Deictic: understanding the meaning of certain words and phrases in an utterance requires __________________ • Examples:as we, you, here, there, now, then, this, that, the former,  or the latter, this, that, etc. • Highly context sensitive; make direct reference to the context. • Personal deictic (Ex: Pronouns, ) • Spatial deictic (Ex: ) • Temporal deictic (Ex: )

  10. DEICTICS • The use of deictics requires knowledge of the ______________ of the ______________ : “Do you like this book?” • To answer, the addressee has to know where the speaker is or points/refers to “John is here.” • To know where exactly John is, we have to know where the speaker is.

  11. DEICTICS • The Son is on the right hand. • I saw him standing there. • Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. • These are the days that are of the harvest.

  12. Speech Act Theory John L. Austin

  13. Speech Act Theory • Speech act theory (John L. Austin) broadly explains that ______________(or speech acts) have three parts or aspects: • ______________ act • ______________ act • ______________ act • The key word here is act! This theory seeks to break down the act of speaking ! http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/lang/pragmatics.htm John L. Austin's

  14. Speech Act Theory • Locutionary acts: • simply the __________that has taken place • Illocutionary force: • are the ______________ which are ______________ by the utterance • In other words : where saying equals doing. • Ex: betting, pleading, declaration, welcoming, warning, etc. • Perlocutionary force: • are the ______________ of the utterance on the listener. http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/lang/pragmatics.htm John L. Austin's

  15. Illocutionary and Perlocutionary Force • I bet you five dollars that the Canadians win. • I challenge you to a match. • A dare you to step over this line. • I move that we adjourn. • I nominate John for president. • I promise to improve. • I resign!

  16. CONVERSATIONAL MAXIMS H. Paul Grice

  17. CONVERSATIONAL MAXIMS • Philosopher H. Paul ______________ • ______________ in communication: agreement by speaker and listener to cooperate in communication • Listener assumes (unless there is evidence to the contrary) that a speaker will have calculated his/her utterance along a number of principles (_______): Ex: speaker tells the truth, tries to estimate what the audience knows, etc.

  18. The Cooperative Principles: Maxims of Conversations (Grice, 1989)

  19. OBEYED, VIOLATED or FLOUTED • Violating maxims (Grice’s term): speaker ______ breaks them (e.g., intentionally lying) • Flouting: ______ breaking the maxims for some ____________ (e.g., sarcasm, irony, entertainment…) • Distinguishing factor: • we must look at a speaker’s intention!

  20. Implicature • Implicature • “Implicature” refers to what is ___________ in an utterance, even though not expressed nor strictly implied by the utterance. “Have you stopped going to the gym?”

  21. MAXIM OF QUALITY • Try to make your contribution one that is ______ . – Do not say what you believe is false – Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence. • Example: – My children are so well-behaved –Truth: I am aware (and embarrassed) that they are not well-behaved We would know that it is : - Flouting (certain intonation) - Violating (if a lie)

  22. MAXIM OF QUANTITY • Make your contribution as ______________ as is required for the current purposes of the exchange (i.e., _________ or ______ informative). • Example: – Speaker A: What did you have for lunch today? – Speaker B: I had cottage cheese. • Flouted or Violated: if the speaker also had pizza and banana split.

  23. …Quantity continued • Example: – Situation: Child is allowed only 2 cookies per day. – Parent: Did you eat three cookies today? – Child: No. • Flouted or violated: if the child had 4! • Example: – Speaker A: Is your daughter studying at university now? – Speaker B: She is going to classes and buying the books. • Implicature: She is not studying much.

  24. MAXIM OF RELEVANCE • Make your contributions ___________. Examples: – In response to anything: Is the Pope Catholic? – Implicature: Your question is so obvious… – Speaker A: Can you tell me the time? – Speaker B: Yes.

  25. MAXIM OF RELEVANCE • Examples: – Speaker A: When can you hand your paper in? – Speaker B: It’s a beautiful day. – Implicature: I don’t want to answer your question. – Flouted: answer is not relevant, but hearer will catch the irrelevance; violated: speaker hopes that listener does not catch the irrelevance.

  26. MAXIM OF MANNER • _______________ on language use : – Avoid ambiguity – Avoid obscurity – Be brief – Be orderly • Example: – Parent: Who broke the vase? – Son: It was one of your two children. – Implicature: I don’t want to answer this.

  27. …Manner continued • Examples: – This is my mother’s husband. – Respected: mother’s husband is not speaker’s father. – Implicature: Person is speaker’s father, but speaker is mad at him – Speaker A: Does your daughter play the piano? – Speaker B: She sits at the piano and pushes the keys and the keys make noise… – Implicature: She doesn’t play well. – This also violates the Maxim of Quantity

  28. CONVERSATIONAL IMPLICATURES • Conversational Maxims: not rules like phonological or syntactic rules, but rather _______________ , initial assumptions the speaker starts out with • Maxims can be violated (intentionally or unintentionally) to convey certain implicatures – Speaker A: Why are you in such a bad mood? Aren’t you happy that we’ll all go see the movie about fish? I am sure you’ll like it. – Speaker B: Sure, I’ll love it. – Implicature: I am sure I will hate it.

  29. PRACTIC PROBLEMS Flouting or violation? Which maxim? Example 1: – Question: How long did you watch TV today? – Answer: I watched for three hours. (When in fact it had been 5 hours.) Example 2: – I love it when you make me wait for you outside in the cold weather.

  30. PRACTIC PROBLEMS Example 3: – Question: When can you pay me back what you owe me? – Answer: I wonder how the Canadians will do this year. Example 4: – Question: Can you pick the kids up at school this afternoon? – Answer: I have piano lessons at 3pm. Example 5: – Not all students came to the party – (When in fact none of the students came)

  31. Interpreting Silence Context: Nathalie trying to open her heart / David trying to be attentive. Nathalie: I don’t think I pray nearly enough. David: … Nathalie: As a pastor’s wife, I should pray for you more. David: … Nathalie :Maybe I’m spiritual enough for you. David: … Nathalie (almost in tears) : Do you really think that of me?

  32. IMPLICATURE and CONVERSATIONAL MAXIMS • Hey honey, have yougainedsomeweight in yourrear end? • Implicature: You shouldlooseweight. • Conversationalmaxim? • Obeyed, violated or flouted:? • Wheredidyougetthoseshoes? • Implicature: I thinkthey’repretty lame! • Conversationalmaxim? • Obeyed, violated or flouted? • (Won’tyoushut up, ‘cause) I’mtrying to watch the game! • Implicature: Pleaseshut up! • Conversationalmaxim? • Obeyed, violated or flouted?

  33. Conversational Maxims • Nowthatyou have learned about conversationalmaxims, whatwouldyousayisbehindthesestatements? • What’s up? • I’m fine. You?

More Related