context, implicature and reference

Context, Implicature and Reference

Week 3 Language in

context

Pragmatics?

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Pragmatics.

• Pragmatics is a subfield of linguistics concerned with speech acts, and how communication is achieved in a given instance of language use; it studies how the transmission of meaning depends not only on the linguistic knowledge (e.g. grammar, lexicon etc.) of the speaker and listener, but also on the context of the utterance, knowledge about the status of those involved, the inferred intent of the speaker, and so on.[1

• the context of the utterance,

• knowledge about the status of those involved,

• the inferred intent of the speaker,


• Where?

• Who?

• Why?


• A: Is this your pencil?

• B: Yes, thanks.

• A: Is this your daughter?

• B: Yes,

• A: Wow!


Pragmatics

• Another perspective is that pragmatics deals with the way in which we reach our goals in communication.

"Stop smoking, please!"

which is a direct method and has clear semantic meaning.

"Whew, this room could use an air purifier“which implies a similar meaning but is

indirect and therefore requires pragmatic

inference to derive the intended

meaning.


Pragmatic awareness

• is regarded as one of the most challenging aspects of language learning, and comes only through experience.


Context?


Context, the dynamic context

the continually changing surroundings,

it enables the participants in the communication process to interact, and in which the linguistic expressions of their interaction become intelligible.

Where

Who

Intension


So

• Grammatical view: the linguistic elements are described in isolation

• User-oriented: one asks how these linguistic elements are used in the context of interaction.

Context is • more than just reference.

• action.

• about understanding what things are for.

Pragmatics and context.

• It’s a long time since we visited your mother.

Two settings

Physical; where? (at the dinner table)

( transmogrified: at the hippopotamus cage?)

Emotional: role, status, relationship. intension

Where

Who

Intension


Register?


Register

• By register, one understands the linguistic resources that speakers have at their disposal to mark their attitude towards their interlocutors.

• Formal vs informal register.

• Register changes due to pragmaticalized context. (situation, relationship)

due sie. Nam-joon Dr. Kang

자기 야 당신 너


Context and Convention?


Context and convention

• Language is conventional, that is, there is no immediate, natural connection between a word and what it expresses.

• Where is the hotel/hospital/restaurant?


• Cannot naturally express what they think.

• Let’s go to the ____• I don’t want to go to the ____


• The invisible workings of their minds cannot be immediately expressed, in a natural way, but must be coded in non-natural, conventional and contextual, carriers.

• If you don’t mind, shall we take a rest/ have a date?

• Let’s go to the ____• I don’t want to go to the ____

Not by individual but by society

• Since language is developed in a social context, its use is governed by society rather than by the individual speakers.

• The context determines both what one can say and what one cannot say: only the pragmatics of the situation can give meaning to one’s words.

The same utterance can obtain completely different

• Great!!

• A: so can you please come over here again right now.

• B: Well, I have to go to Edinburgh today sir.

• A: Hmm, how about this Thursday?

Contextual assumption

• The spatial: where

• Temporal: when (before Tuesday)

• Relationship: giving order


Presupposition

• In the linguistic branch of pragmatics, a presupposition is an implicit assumption about the world or background belief relating to an utterance whose truth is taken for granted in discourse. Examples of presuppositions include:

• Do you want to do it again? • Jane no longer writes fiction.

• Do you want to do it again? – Presupposition: that you have done it already,

at least once.

• Jane no longer writes fiction. – Presupposition: that Jane once wrote fiction

Convention, context, presupposition

A: Where are my keys?B: Jane went out.A: Cannot stand it anymore.B: Oh! Here she goes again.


Implicature

Implicature

• It refers to what is suggested in an utterance, even though not expressed nor strictly implied (that is, entailed) by the utterance.[1]

• For example, the sentence "Mary had a baby and got married" strongly suggests that Mary had the baby before the wedding, but the sentence would still be strictly true if Mary had her baby after she got married. Further, if we add the qualification "— not necessarily in that order" to the original sentence, then the implicature is cancelled even though the meaning of the original sentence is not altered.


Imply

• To fold something into something else

Implication

• Logicality of the sentences

• If you ---- then I will.

• But normally we don’t use this way.

• You cut my hedge• I’ll take you dinner.

if you cut my hedge then I’ll take you dinner.

if you don’t, I won’t.


Conversational Implicature

• The way we understand an utterance in conversation in accordance with what we expect to hear.

• What time is it?• The bus just went by,

Both knows there is only one bus and it is gone already.

It make sense not grammatically but carry the required information.

Cooperative principles

• More understanding of the context brings more guesses.

• People, in the conversation try to help other people in answering.

• Accept that aunt knows only about the month not date.

So

• Both knows what is happening in this context

• More than just language.


Create one conversational implicature


Create one conversational implicature

A: How much do you have?B: Oh! Stop it.

A: I love you!B: Go to hell!

A: Give it to me. I’ll do it.


Conventional implicature

• Meaning of verbal expressions are governed by its historically developed, culture-specific and class related.

Historically developed

• He’s Japanese.

• He has a Japanese look.

• He’s got a brother living in the USA.

• She’s the secretary.

• She’s working in PX.

• She’s married to an American soldier.


Class related.

Accent means social inferiority? It is due to history or socially built up situation.

• ‘Yo man, What’s up?

• I almost wet my pants.

• OH, it’s fucking good.

Culture related

• She’s living by herself. And she has a boy friend.

• She’s nineteen. She’s living with her family.

• He’s a civil servant.

• She has many creative and interesting ideas.


Well

• Implicatures are standardized by convention, and cannot be changed even if we invoke another context;


Homework

• Summarize this chapter

• Imply context, conventions, conversational implicatures, conventional implicatures, presuppositions, in drama activities for your own learners.


Love ya!!!!!

context, implicature and reference

Documents

contextfree template

kang free template

context of interaction

pragmaticalized context

linguistic knowledge

linguistic elements

linguistic resources

linguistic expressions