Pragmatics (1) PDF
Document Details
![AwedGauss2256](https://quizgecko.com/images/avatars/avatar-4.webp)
Uploaded by AwedGauss2256
Universität Regensburg
Dr Thorsten Brato
Tags
Summary
These are lecture notes for a course on pragmatics. The document covers the evolution of linguistics, language in use, and introduces pragmatics in context. Different types of context and comparison with semantics, and important concepts like Inference, Presupposition, and Speech Act Theory are discussed.
Full Transcript
Pragmatics (1) Dr Thorsten Brato Department of English and American Studies VL Introduction to English Linguistics: English in Use Recap The evolution of linguistics 18th/ Historical...
Pragmatics (1) Dr Thorsten Brato Department of English and American Studies VL Introduction to English Linguistics: English in Use Recap The evolution of linguistics 18th/ Historical comparative 1950s- Generative Grammar 19th century language studies today Universal Grammar Language families Until Traditional language Structuralism 1950s- Language usage 20th 17th studies Descriptivist today Hyphenated linguistics century century Prescriptivist 2 Recap Language in use Linguistics is commonly found in everyday life, e.g. In language teaching When communicating with people from other countries/cultures In technology In the health sciences In advertising and marketing In creative arts 3 1 Introducing pragmatics Context Example 1 AF: (2) So you went to Arran. A bit of a come-down, isn’t it?! ((laughing)) DM: It was nice actually. Have you been to Arran? AF: No I’ve not. (1) Like to go. DM: Did a lot of climbing. AF: // (heh) DM: // I went with Francesca (0.5) and David. AF: Uhuh? DM: Francesca’s roommate. (2) And Alice’s – a friend of Alice’s from London (1). There were six of us. Yeah, we did a lot of hill walking. (0.5) We got back (1) er (2) Michelle and I got home she looked at her knees. (0.5) They were like this. Swollen up like this. ’Cause we did this enormous eight hour stretch. AF: Uhm. (Students on hill walking 1996; Cutting&Fordyce 2020: 5) 8 1 Introducing pragmatics The three types of context Situational context What speakers know about what they can see around them The immediate physical co-presence The situation at the moment of speaking Background knowledge context Cultural background knowledge General knowledge people have about areas of life Interpersonal background knowledge Specific, possibly private knowledge about the history of the speakers Knowledge acquired through previous interactions, activities or experiences Co-textual context The context of the text itself – the co-text References to other parts of the text 9 1 Introducing pragmatics Semantics and pragmatics compared Semantics Pragmatics Context-invariant, Context-sensitive, speaker-dependent speaker-independent meaning meaning Meaning potential Concrete meaning in a given context What does X mean? (conventional meaning, What does the speaker mean by uttering X? what is said) (non-conventional meaning, what is meant) Principles for describing meaning, meaning Principles for bridging the gap between relations and meaning combinations what is said and what is meant (cf. Kortmann 2020: 175) 11 1 Introducing pragmatics Important concepts Inference, presupposition Deixis and Speech Act Context and reference Theory entailment Conversation Cooperation Inter- and and and Politeness crosscultural discourse implicature pragmatics analysis 12 2 Deixis and reference Deixis Example 3 Meet me here same time tomorrow with a book about this size. Activity 2 Look at Example 3. Which information does a reader or listener need to fully understand the sentence? Especially personal, possessive and demonstrative pronouns and adverbial constructions of time and place have both a context-independent (semantic) and context-dependent (pragmatic) meaning These constructions are called deixis or deictic expressions 14 DEICTIC CENTRE (I, here, now) Person deixis later, tomorrow, that I soon, … You Her Proximity before, Distance recently, there yesterday, … 15 2 Deixis and reference Central deictic dimensions Person deixis Place deixis Time deixis Different persons Location relative to the A reference to time in involved in a location of a participant relation to the moment communicative event in the speech event of the utterance I/we – the speaker(s) Place adverbials, Time adverbials, tense You – the demonstratives, e.g. now, soon, addressee(s) prepositions of place tomorrow, yesterday, He/she/they – direction, verbs of present, former, this persons not involved motion month Pairs like here – there near – far 16 2 Deixis and reference Non-central deictic dimensions Manner and degree Social deixis Discourse deixis deixis Relates to the social Provide a means of Describes objects by status of the persons increasing text using gestures directly (speaker, coherence by explicity e.g. The dog was this addressee) or indirectly referring to the specific small. (person talked about, parts of the discourse Why don’t you do it bystander) involved in a which follow or precede like this? communicative event the deictic expression e.g. Sir, Madam, Your e.g. in conclusion, all Honour, Professor, in all, anyway Du-Sie 17 2 Deixis and reference Deictic and non-deictic definite references Not all personal pronouns have a deictic function! Most of the time 1st and 2nd person pronouns are deictic With 3rd person pronouns, context is important Example 4 Example 5 Look at her! Look at the baby! Doesn’t he look cute? Deictic Non-deictic Anaphoric reference because he refers back to something that has already been said (cf. Bublitz 2009: 242, 246) 18 2 Deixis and reference Reference Definite Indefinite Generic One or more specific The identity of the Reference is made to a individual entities are referent is not known or whole class of referents referred to not relevant to the rather than an Persons message conveyed individual Things No particular person, True for a whole Places thing, place, time group Times 20 2 Deixis and reference Definite reference Example 6 Example 8 I saw Pete here yesterday. The new crime novel, you really have to Deictic definite references read it. Example 7 The new crime novel is definite The man gave the book to her. it is anaphoric The man and the book are definite non-deictic references Particular entities Does not strictly locate its referent along a particular dimension, such as time and space 21 2 Deixis and reference Definite reference Example 9 Example 12 A man gave the book to her. Let me show you something. Deictic definite references Indefinite pronoun Example 10 Example 13 I like crackers very much. You never know. Example 11 Example 14 There are many people in the street. We have to know history in order not to Quantifiers repeat it. Special cases, which look like they could be deictic, but are indefinite (cf. German man) 22 2 Deixis and reference Generic reference Example 15 A lion is a large cat. Example 16 Lions are large cats. Example 17 The lion is a large cat Ambiguous! 23 2 Deixis and reference Summary Deictic Definite Non-deictic Reference Indefinite Generic 24 3 Inference Entailment Entailment is one of two semantic inferences, i.e. it based on the conventional meaning A proposition X entails proposition Y if the truth of Y follows necessarily from the truth of X Proposition X Proposition Y There is a fish. There is an animal. TRUE TRUE FALSE TRUE or FALSE TRUE or FALSE TRUE FALSE FALSE 25 3 Inference Presupposition Presuppositions are predictions that are taken for granted when a sentence is uttered. Example 18 John managed to repair his computer. Presupposition 1: John owns a computer. Presupposition 2: John tried to repair his computer. Presupposition n: Someone has developed computers. Presuppositions usually only hold true in one direction: That John owns a computer does not necessarily mean that he is able to repair it. 26 3 Inference Entailment vs. Presupposition Entailment Presupposition Fails when negated Still holds when negated Less context-dependent (logical More context-dependent (defeasible) necessity) Given facts oriented towards the Results oriented towards the future past Example 19 Example 20 I saw my uncle yesterday. I didn’t see my uncle yesterday. Entailment: I saw another human being today. Entailment: That I saw another human being Presupposition: I have an uncle. yesterday may or may not be true. Presupposition: I have an uncle. 27 3 Inference Pragmatic inference Situational knowledge World knowledge Example 21 Example 24 A: What time is it? // B: The Tagesschau just The next trains leaves from platform 2. started. Linguistic knowledge Example 22 Example 25 A: Let’s go for a walk. // B: The Tagesschau I would take it. just started. Interpersonal knowledge Example 23 This wine is very dry. 28 4 Speech Act Theory Introducing speech acts A speech act is an utterance made by a certain speaker to a certain hearer in a certain context. Example 26 You look younger than ever! There are three subtypes of speech acts, which always occur together Locution – The linguistic form J.L. Austin Illocution – The intention of the speech act How to do things with Perlocution – The effect on the listener words (1962) John R. Searle Speech acts (1969) 29 4 Speech Act Theory Searle’s typology of illocutionary acts Assertives (representatives) describe the Expressives are used to express our world. feelings and opinions. Example 27 Example 30 Germany is a country in Europe. Hi!, Happy birthday! Directives are attempts to get people to Declarations are performed by do things. pronouncing the appropriate formula. They Example 28 ‘change’ the world. Please send me an email. Example 31 Commissives are promises or threats to I hereby declare you husband and wife. inform others about future actions. Example 29 I will write to you every day. 30 4 Speech Act Theory Direct and indirect speech acts Example 32 Example 32 It’s freezing in here. It’s freezing in here. Illocution 1 Perlocution 1 Locution = Illocution I tell you that the room My interlocutor reports the Direct speech act temperature is below 0°C. room temperature. Assertive Assertive Illocution 2 Perlocution 2 I tell you that I want you do My interlocutor does not Locution ≠ Illocution something about the cold. report the room temperature Indirect speech act Directive but wants me switch on the heating. Indirect speech acts are often used to be more polite. 33 Keywords Anaphoric Place deixis Assertive Expressive Pragmatic inference Background knowledge context Generic reference Pragmatics Commissive Illocution Presupposition Co-textual context Indefinite reference Reference Declaration Indirect speech act Semantic inference Definite reference Inference Situational context Deictic centre Interpersonal knowledge Situational knowledge Deixis/deictic expression Linguistic knowledge Social deixis Direct speech act Locution Speech Act Directive Manner and degree deixis Time deixis Discourse deixis Perlocution World knowledge Entailment Person deixis 36 References and further reading Bublitz, Wolfram. 2009. Englische Pragmatik: Eine Einführung, 2nd edn. Berlin: ESV. Cruse, Alan. 2006. A glossary of semantics and pragmatics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Cruse, Alan. 2011. Meaning in language: An introduction to semantics and pragmatics, 3rd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Cutting, Joan & Kenneth Fordyce. 2020. Pragmatics: A resource book for students. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. Huang, Yan. 2014. Pragmatics, 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kortmann, Bernd. 2020. English Linguistics: Essentials, 2nd edn. Stuttgart: J.B. Metzler. Yule, George. 2008. Pragmatics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 37