PRAGMATICS

GROUP 05
 What is Pragmatics?
• pragmatics is the study of how context contributes to
meaning. Pragmatics encompasses phenomena including
implicature, speech acts, relevance and conversation

• Pragmatics is the study of "how to do things with words"

(the name of a well known book by the philosopher J.L.
Austin), or perhaps "how people do things with words"
(to be more descriptive about it).
Example:

1. Will you crack open the door? I am getting hot.

 4 Aspects of Pragmatics

speech acts
rhetorical structure
conversational implicature
management of reference
 Speech Acts

Speech acts are acts that refer to the action performed

by produced utterances. People can perform an action
by saying something. Through speech acts, the speaker
can convey physical action merely through words and
phrases. The conveyed utterances are paramount to the
actions performed.
 2 types of Speech Acts
indirect direct
An utterance is seen as a direct
Indirect speech acts speech act when there is a
are commonly used to reject direct relationship
proposals and to make between the structure and
requests. the communicative
Ex:
Do you know if Jenny got an A on the function of the utterance.
test? Ex:
If you get all A's, I'll buy you a car!
I'd like to know if Jenny got an A on the
test. If you cross that line, I'll shoot you!
 Conversational Implicature

is an indirect or implicit speech act: what is meant by a

speaker's utterance that is not part of what is explicitly
said. The term is also known simply as implicature; it is
the antonym (opposite) of explicature, which is an
explicitly communicated assumption.
 Cooperative Principles / Maxims
1. The maxim of quality. Speakers' contributions ought
to be true.
2. The maxim of quantity. Speakers' contributions
should be as informative as required; not saying either
too little or too much.
3. The maxim of relevance. Contributions should relate
to the purposes of the exchange.
4. The maxim of manner. Contributions should be
perspicuous -- in particular, they should be orderly and
brief, avoiding obscurity and ambiguity.
 Rhetorical Structure

is a theory of text organization that describes

relations that hold between parts of text. It was
originally developed by William Mann and
Sandra Thompson of the University of Southern
California's Information Sciences Institute and
defined in a 1988 paper. 
 Management of Reference

the act by which a speaker or writer uses language to enable a

hearer or reader to identify something is called reference.
 Reference
• Is the words we use to
identify things are in some
direct relationship to those
things.
• It is an act in which a
speaker, or writer, uses
linguistic forms to enable a
listener, or reader, to
identify something.  speaker is referring to.
Inference
• Is connecting prior knowledge
to text based information to
create meaning beyond what
is directly stated.
• the role of inference in
communication is to allow the
listener to identify correctly
which particular entity the
Thank
you!
 Activity
1. The act by which a speaker or writer uses language to
enable a hearer or reader to identify something.

2. A theory of text organization that describes relations

that hold between parts of text that was originally
developed by William Mann and Sandra Thompson.
3. __________ the study of how context contributes to
meaning.

4-7. Give the 4 Maxims with it’s Definitions base on your

understanding.

8-10. Give the 4 aspects of Pragmatics?