Transcript Pragmatics Powerpoint

Dr. Katie Welch
LING3311.001
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Heretofore, we have talked about the form of
language
But, this is only half the story.
We must also consider the function of
language. (i.e. How is it used? By whom? In
what context?)
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The study of meaning in context
◦ Situational context
◦ Linguistic context
◦ Social context
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Utterances not sentences
Felicity = appropriateness
# sign if utterance is infelicitous
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Pointing via language
“placeholder” words
◦ Here, there, 5 minutes, now, he, she, we
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Formulated by H.P. Grice
What we say in a conversation furthers the
purpose of the conversation
Developed 5 conversational rules (or maxims)
that regulate conversation
Quality
◦ Do not say what you believe to be false.
◦ Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence.
Relevance
◦ Be relevant.
Quantity
◦ Make your contribution as informative as is required.
◦ Do not make your contribution more informative than is
required.
Manner
◦ Avoid obscurity of expression.
◦ Avoid ambiguity.
◦ Be brief (avoid unnecessary prolixity)
◦ Be orderly.
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Purposefully breaking the maxims in order to
create additional meaning
Different than just breaking [violating] the
maxims (lying, rambling, changing the
subject)
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Entailment (when x is true, y is true, too)
Implicature (idea communicated based on
speakers’ knowledge of language use)
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Performing an act by using language
Felicity conditions
Perfomative verbs
Direct/Indirect Speech Acts
◦ Direct uses a direct, literal utterance or a
performative verb