Pragmatics
description
Transcript of Pragmatics
Pragmatics
A quick summary
Pragmatics and semantics
• What does X mean?
• What do you mean by X?– Leech 1983
Linguistic context• Amazingly, he already loves her• Without linguistic context, we don’t know
– who he is– who she is– why it’s so remarkable
Physical Context
• A: Oh no, … … … … … …. …. .. ..• B: Don’t panic, I’ll take you to the bank• Can you think of two completely different
ways to complete A?• They should exemplify the two different
meanings of bank.
Economy of effort
• Phonology, especially assimilation, says:– we are lazy– we do just enough to be understood
• Meaning is the same• Indirect speech act:
– You are standing on my foot. – No need to add Please move it!
• Same with inference– You must bring Yule to every class.– I don’t mean the man himself!
Anaphora also save effort
• Read p116-7
• Which of these is better (saves effort)?– I want to buy that puppy. That puppy is so cute.
– I want to buy that puppy. It is so cute.
• And– I want to buy that puppy. It is in a pet store. It
looks so sad in the pet store.
– I want to buy that puppy. It looks so sad in the pet store.
Direct speech acts
• Question– Did you eat the pizza?
• Request– Please eat the pizza!
• Statement– You ate the pizza
Indirect speech acts
• Usually a polite request to do something
• Can you please eat some pizza?
• Do you have room for some more pizza?
• The DAE paid a lot of money for this pizza.– Probably they all mean Please eat the pizza.
• If not interpreted correctly, communication can break down– Q: Do you know what time it is?– A: Yes, thank you, I do.
Performative verbs
• If you say “I love my girlfriend”, you are just talking. You are not actually performing an act of love.
• If you say “I promise to love my girlfriend”, you are actually performing a promise in the act of speaking.
• Note performative verbs are usually in the simple present (even though you are doing them “right now”– That is true of: What other kind of verb?
Performative verbs?
• I enjoy linguistics very much.• I sentence you to 24 hours community
service.• I pronounce you man and wife.• I owe you a lot of money.• I swear to love you for ever.• I swear at bad drivers every day.• I guess she’s not coming then.