Transcript Discussion
Chapter 6
Pragmatics
6.1 Introduction
Review of semantics
Meaning in lg.
words
Mother
vs.
Mother-in-law
sentence:
in, am, I, T-shirt, today
Review of semantics
“I’m in T-shirt today.”
What does the sent. mean?
↓
What does the speaker mean?
What does the utterance mean?
Pragmatics
speaker mg.
semantics + pragmatics=study of mg.
“I’m in T-shirt today.”
“Mum, I’m in T-shirt today.”
speaker mg.: dependent on ???
Social norms
Lg. users
Belief
Time, space
Context
Motivation
Social setting
Non-verbal
Pre-text
speaker mg.: context-dependent
Social norms
Social
Lg. users
Belief
Mental
Motivation
Social setting
Time, space
Physical
Context
Non-verbal
Pre-text
Pragmatics
= study of mg in
context;
use;
communication;
What does the speaker mean?
What does the utterance mean?
Pragmatics
Concrete
Implicit
Semantics
Abstract
Explicit
该来的没有来,不该走的倒走了。
Man: Do you love me?
Woman: Well, I like you.
conversational implicature
Pragmatics
Waste basket
Indispensable ‘basket’
e.g.
“Today is Sunday.”
Situation 1
Situation 2
…
Pragmatic mg.
conversational implicature
SALE: BABY & TODDLER p.142
6.2 Micropragmatics
Ss presentation
real life instances
the speaker means more than
what s/he said
Lead-in task
TB example p.144
(1) A: Where is the fresh salad sitting?
B: He’s sitting by the door.
(3) You’ll have to bring that back tomorrow,
because they aren’t here now.
Lead-in task
TB example p.145
(4) A: Can I borrow your dictionary?
B: Yeah, it’s on the table.
p.146
(6) When did you stop beating your wife?
Discussion
Keywords:
Reference
Deixis
Anaphora
Presupposition
Ss’ exapmples
Ss’ definitions
Discussion
Deixis
– person deixis
– space/spatial/place deixis
– discourse deixis
– social deixis
Compare
person deixis vs. social deixis
Discussion
Presupposition
Features:
What are presupposition triggers?
TB p.147
Q: Does one sentence just allow for one
presupposition?
In-class activities
video clip (twice)
Sound of Music
Task:
To identify specific reference, deixis,
anaphora and presuppositions involved
1.
Comment and feedback
In-class activities
Brain teaser
“when 1+1=3?”
Task:
To identify the presupposition(s) involved
2.
Comment and feedback
6.3 Macropragmatics
lead-in tasks
Act out
Ss in pairs act out typical situations of
apologizing, promising, commanding and
congratulating
Find out
the specific utterances perfroming these
actions
Discussion
Compare
e.g. Mr Smith was mad with his secretary.
Vs.
e.g. Stop that nonsense, Joe.
Find out differences in their com. value
‘saying things’
Vs.
‘doing things with words’
Discussion
Speech act theory
What?
Who?
performative act
e.g. TB p.149
Trichotomy=
locution+illocution+perlocution
A. Locutionary act: the act of saying, the
literal meaning of the utterance;
B. Illocutionary act: the extra meaning of
the utterance produced on the basis of its
literal meaning;
C. Perlocutioanry act: the effect of the
utterance on the hearer, depending on
specific circumstances.
(18) a. Husband: That’s the phone.
b. Wife: I’m in the bathroom.
c. Husband: Okay.
Analysis:
In-class activities
brainstorm
Task:
To brainstorm five sorts of situations where
the speaker:
states a fact,
makes a suggestion,
turns down a offer,
express an attitude and
delivers a declaration
In-class activities
Classification of illocutionary acts
Representatives
Directives
Commissives
Expressives
Declarations
Demonstration
Ss offer examples for directives
Identify the degrees of indirectness
Compare forms and functions
indirect speech acts
What?
TB (p.152-3)
6.3.2 The Cooperative Principle
lead-in tasks
Act out
Ss in pairs strike a short conversation in
whatever way as they wish. (two groups
present)
Find out
whether there are principles governing the
conduct of conversation
Discussion
Ss comment on four aspects of conversation:
quality
quantity
relation
manner
Discussion
the Cooperative Principle:
For what?
By whom?
Maxims:
Maxim of quality
Maxim of quantity
Maxim of relation
Maxim of manner
Discussion
the Cooperative Principle:
Observing
Flouting
conversational implicatures:
TB examples (33, 40, 41, 42)
In-class activities
CP-based analysis
Data:
verbal jokes
Task:
to identify conversational implicatures
derived from non-observance of certain
CP maxims
In-class activities
CP-based analysis
Data:
metaphor, irony or tautology
Task:
to account for their meanings on the ground
of CP
6.3.3 The Politeness Principle
lead-in tasks
pick up
Ss watch the comedy clip (bu chaqian《不差
钱》, picking up 5 utterances conveying
conversational implicatures
Find out
why speakers always bother with implicit and
indirect ways of saying things
Discussion
evaluate Ss’ accounts
Approach the weakness of the CP
In-class activities
Fulfill the goal
Task:
Ss design a situation where they:
show disagreement with your manager
borrow money from your bad-tempered
brother Maxim of relation
let your kids know that you cannot stay
with them for the coming Xmas
In-class activities
Ss presentation
Are there politeness considerations?
The Politeness Principle (TB p. 158)
Who?
For what?
Maxims
Puzzle session
Big Q:
Are there culture-specific differences between
Chinese and westerners (e.g. English and
Americans) in what counts to be politeness
of verbal behaviors?
Exercises and Discussion Questions
TB (p. 161-2)
extended exercises