Course : Pragmatics

Third Year
Lecture 1
 Course overview
This course focuses on the use of language •
for communication, the construction and
interpretation of linguistic messages among
. interlocutors
The course is about how language acquires •
meaning in context. In many situations,
what speakers mean goes beyond what they
.explicitly say
This course discusses formal models which •
have been proposed for explaining how
these meanings are conveyed between
.cooperative interlocutors
Introductory Lecture
?What is Pragmatics
 Introduction
Communication clearly depends on not only •
recognizing the meaning of words in an utterance,
but recognizing what speakers mean by their
.utterances
The study of what speakers mean, or “speaker •
.meaning,” is called pragmatics

Pragmatics is a language in use, or even better, a •

meaning in use (the actual use of the language)
 Definition of Pragmatics
.Pragmatics is another branch of linguistics •

Pragmatics is concerned with the interpretation of •

.linguistic meaning in context
Pragmatics  is “the study of the use of linguistic signs, •
”.words, and sentences, in actual situations
Similar to semantics, pragmatics also studies the •
meanings of words, but it pays emphasis on their
.context
Semantics focuses on the conceptual meaning and •
relationship between words

Pragmatics does not study what X means, but it studies •

??what do you mean by saying X
Example : Shoot the snake •

  •
 Example 1
A: The telephone is ringing •
B: I’m in the bath •
A: Ok •
Speakers can easily recognize what is meant when it is not •
explicitly said (uttered) or written

???? Can you guess the intended meaning •

. •
 Example 2
Therefore, without the function of Pragmatics, there would be very •
.little understanding of intention and meaning

We would like to demonstrate this by showing you how life would be •

:WITHOUT Pragmatics

’?Can you pass the salt‘ •

?Literal Meaning: Are you physically able to do this task •

’Literal Response: ‘Yes •

?Pragmatic Meaning: Will you pass me the salt ( •

).Pragmatic Response: pass the salt to the speaker •

‘ •
 Example3
’?What time do you call this •

?Literal Meaning: What time is it •

Literal Response: A time (e.g. ‘twenty to one.’) •

Pragmatic Meaning: a different question entirely, e.g. Why are you so( •
?late
).Pragmatic Response: Explain the reason for being so late •
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZyhROXjffU&t=18s •
 Example 4
I’m cold •
The sentence meaning here is straightforward: The speaker is •
cold. The speaker’s meaning in using this utterance in a given
context, however, could be any of a number of things,
:including

.a. Close the window •

.b. Bring me a blanket •
.c. Turn off the air conditioner •
.d. The heater is broken again •
e. Let’s go home. [uttered, say, at the beach] •
Example 5
Can you interpret the meaning of
?? this sign
Situation
Driving by a parking garage, you may •
see a large sign like the one in the
picture. You read the sign, knowing
what each of the words means but
?what does the sign as a whole mean
However, you don’t normally think that the •
sign is advertising a place where you can park
”.your “heated attendant
You take an attendant, you heat him/her up ,( •
).and this is where you can park him/her
Alternatively, the sign may indicate a •
place where parking will be carried
out by attendants who have been
)???????( heated
 Interpretation of the sign
The words in the sign may allow these •
interpretations, but we would normally
understand that we can park a car in this
place, that it’s a heated area, and that
there will be an attendant to look after
.the car
So, how do we decide that the sign means •
this when the sign doesn’t even have the
?word car on it
To arrive at a plausible interpretation of the message •
conveyed by the sign, we must use
a)the meanings of the words •

b) the context in which they occur •

c) some pre-existing knowledge •

Our interpretation of the “meaning” of the sign is not based •

solely on the words, but on what we think the writer intended
.to communicate
Example 6
In the other picture, assuming things are normal and this •
store/ factory has not gone into the business of selling
young children, we can recognize an advertisement for a
.sale of clothes for those babies and toddlers
The word clothes doesn’t appear in the message, but •
we can bring that idea to our interpretation of the
message as we work out what the advertiser intended us
.to understand
We are actively involved in creating an interpretation of •
.what we read and hear
 Context
The previous examples indicate the influence of context.
.There are different kinds of context
One kind is described as linguistic context, also known as •
.co-text
The co-text of a word is the set of other words used in •
the same phrase or sentence. The surrounding co-text
has a strong effect on what we think the word probably
.means
 Example 7
The word bank as a homonym, a single form with more than one •
.meaning
How do we usually know which meaning is intended in a •
??? ?particular sentence •

or •

On the basis of linguistic context •

If the word bank is used in a sentence •
together with words like steep or
overgrown, we have no problem deciding
.which type of bank is meant
Or, if we hear someone say that she has to •
get to the bank to withdraw some cash,
we know from this linguistic context which
type of bank is intended
Physical context
.Words are interpreted on the basis of physical context •
If we see the word BANK on the wall of a building in a •
city, the physical location will influence our
.interpretation
While this may seem rather obvious, we should keep in •
mind that it is not the actual physical situation “out
there” that constitutes “the context” for interpreting
.words or sentences
The relevant context is our mental representation of •
those aspects of what is physically out there that we use
.in arriving at an interpretation

Our understanding of much of what we read and hear is •

tied to this processing of aspects of the physical context,
particularly the time and place, in which we encounter
.linguistic expressions
 Basic terms
Speech Situation (Context) .1 •
The social setting in which speech takes place (a party, a religious •
ceremony, etc.)
Speech Act .2 •
.Minimal unit of speech has a specified function •
Speech Event .3 •
A series of interrelated speech acts that comprise a unit •
(Conversation, lecture, joke)
Pragmatics •
The study of the relationship between linguistic forms •
and the users of those forms humans are involved in the
analysis one can talk about peoples intended meaning,
assumptions, and purposes, and kinds of actions they
are performing when they speak

Context

meaning

speaker hearer •
 WHY DO WE•
STUDY •
????PRAGMATICS
??
We need pragmatics to understand how language is used .1 •
.in a specific context and to be able to use it appropriately

Pragmatics is a set of skills which allow us to know what .2 •

to say, to whom and how to communicate a message in a
specific
.context (what, how, whom, and when) •

Pragmatics helps us avoid miscommunication caused by .3

cultural difference, being familiar with diverse cultures
Course objectives
To enable students to analyze language from a pragmatic point .1 •
of view

To introduce students to the variety of meanings which words .2 •

and utterances can encode

To understand aspects of meaning that depend on reasoning .3 •

about speaker intentions

To achieve an understanding of the different ways in which .4 •

context contributes to linguistic interpretation
Topics to be covered
Definition of basic terms .1 •
Levels of meaning .2 •
Speech Act Theory .3 •
Austin's Performative Hypothesis .4 •
Types of Performatives.5 •
Searle's taxonomy of speech acts.6 •
Cooperative Principle .7 •
Grice’s maxims .8 •
Implicature .9 •
Politeness Principle .10 •
Coursebooks
Thomas, J. (2013). Meaning in Interaction: An Introduction to •
.Pragmatics. London: Longman
Yule, G .(1996) .Pragmatics. Oxford :Oxford University Press •