Transcript Pragmatics tutorial - National University of Singapore

Question 1: Speech Act Theory
Speech Act Theory
● Speech Act – an utterance made by a speaker to perform a variety of
actions
Forms:
1. Direct Speech Act (DSA) – syntactic form of the utterance is the
same as its intent (form matches intent)
e.g. Pass me a pack of paper clips, please! (imperative,
for an order/request)
Question 1: Speech Act Theory
2. Indirect Speech Act (ISA) – the linguistic form of the
utterance is NOT the same as its intent (form doesn’t match intent)
e.g. Can you pass me a pack of paper clips, please?
(interrogative for an order/request)
Question 1: Speech Act Theory
Performative Verb (PV)
o A type of perlocutionary declarative utterance (related to Searle’s
‘declaration’ speech act)
o Speech acts in the most literal possible sense - Saying the thing IS
in ITSELF literally doing something
e.g. I hereby pronounce you man and wife.
WHY?
Question 1: Speech Act Theory
Declaratives with locutionary force must have the following
CONDITIONS:
must occur in the appropriate situational context
be spoken the appropriate person
affirmative
declarative
in the present tense
Question 1: Speech Act Theory
e.g. I hereby pronounce you man and wife. (said by a priest to a couple at
a wedding ceremony in church)
occurs in the appropriate situational context (marriage ceremony in
church)
spoken the appropriate person (the priest who has the rightful powers to
do so)
affirmative
declarative
in the present tense
Question 1: Speech Act Theory
a)
Question
DSA With PV – I hereby ask you who made the cupcakes.
(interrogative used for a question)
DSA Without PV – Who made the cupcakes? (interrogative used for a
question)
ISA – I wonder who made the cupcakes. (declarative is used for a
question)
Question 1: Speech Act Theory
b)
Request
DSA With PV – I request for your prayers during this difficult time.
(imperative is used for a request)
DSA Without PV – Kindly keep our family in your prayers during this
difficult time. (imperative is used for a request)
ISA – Could you keep my family in your prayers, please? (interrogative
is used for a request)
Question 1: Speech Act Theory
c)
Promise
DSA With PV – I promise to be a good husband. (a declarative used
for a commissive)
DSA Without PV – You have my word that I will be a good husband. (a
declarative used for a commissive)
ISA – Will you take my word that I will be a good husband to you? (an
interrogative used for a commissive)
Other e.g. Do you mind waiting till next week? (an interrogative used
for a commissive)
Question 2: Gricean Maxims of Conversation
Professor A: “He’s so well spoken that you can get lulled into thinking that you believe
him. Then, after a while, you start to realize that most of what he’s saying is just
unfounded opinion. He never backs up his statements with anything factual.”
Maxim(s) flouted
❏ Maxim of Quality
Explanation
Professor A’s words lack adequate evidence to be substantiated.
Question 2: Gricean Maxims of Conversation
Professor B: “Her lectures are really hard to understand. I think that she knows what she’s
talking about, but she uses all this complicated vocabulary, and she never defines any of
the words. Plus, every sentence is about a million words long, and by the time you figure
out what it meant, she’s giving you another sentence that’s even more complicated!
Aiyoh.”
Maxim(s) flouted
❏ Maxim of Manner
❏ Maxim of Quantity
Explanation
Professor B is ambiguous in her teaching - no definitions + complicated vocabulary.
Also, she constructs incredibly long sentences - says more than what is necessary
for students to get her.
Question 2: Gricean Maxims of Conversation
Professor C: “His classes are hard to follow because he goes off on so many tangents.
He’ll be talking about Russian politics one minute, and then he’ll veer off to tell us
something about democracy in Ancient Greece. Then he’ll get back to the Russian politics
only to interrupt himself with a story about what his son did at breakfast this morning!
OMG.”
Maxim(s) flouted
❏ Maxim of Manner
❏ Maxim of Relation
Explanation
Professor C’s classes lack order on top of relevance.
Question 2: Gricean Maxims of Conversation
Professor D: “I feel as though she never gives us thorough answers to our questions. For
example, I asked her yesterday why we shiver when we’re cold. All she said was
‘because you’re warm-blooded,’ and then she went on with her lecture. I already knew
that people are warm-blooded, but I don’t know what this has to do with shivering. Damn
it!”
Maxim(s) flouted
❏ Maxim of Quantity
❏ Maxim of Manner
Why not Maxim of Relation?
Explanation
Professor D “under-explains” - her explanations lack thoroughness and clarity.
The cause of shivering entails warm-bloodedness; what she said isn't entirely
unrelated.
Question 3: Pragmatic competence
The mother is busy preparing dinner, and tells the child: Go ask your uncle
what he wants to drink. The child runs to the living room where the uncle is
relaxing, and doesn’t come back. After a good 15 minutes, the mother
checks with the uncle, who says: Yeah, she did come to me and said
“Uncle, uncle, what you want to drink?”, then she disappeared towards her
bedroom.
Question 3: Pragmatic competence
Defining illocution and perlocution
(a) Illocution- illocutionary utterances that
have communicative intent, done with the
intention to do a certain action.
Eg. from lecture: I respect Ai a lot.
Question 3: Pragmatic competence
Defining illocution and perlocution
(b) Perlocution- perlocutionary utterances have behavioural
consequences on the hearer (ie. hearer will take action in
response), with the intention to get your hearer to do
something.
Eg. from lecture: I am hungry--- said with intention of getting your hearer to
get food for you.
Eg. I haven’t eaten since this morning.
Question 3: Pragmatic competence
Mum’s statement ‘Go ask your uncle what he wants to drink.’ is a
perlocution. She said it with the intention of getting her daughter to ask her
uncle what drink he wants and then geting back to her.
However, the 2-year-old daughter who has a relatively low communicative
competence sees this as an imperative illocutionary utterance in which her
mum orders her to go ask her uncle what drink he wanted, without
interpreting the perlocutionary force intended by her mother (ie. To get back
to her mother. )
Question 3: Pragmatic competence
Anton Casey’s public apology
a) Source and written script
http://sgtalk.org/mybb/Thread-Statement-from-Anton-Casey
Dear sir,
I would like to extend a sincere apology to the people of Singapore. In the past 24 hours
due to a recent chain of events, which include my misguided attempt at humour, a
security breach of my personal Facebook page and the misuse of an old video by
unknown sources, my family, especially, my five-year-old son has suffered extreme
emotional and verbal abuse online.
It must be made extremely clear that a YouTube video of me, with my son in the
background was not posted in response to any recent events. This video was made
weeks prior and has been misused to portray me as unrepentant. Police investigation
into this matter, including receiving death threats, is ongoing. I have offended and
disrespected the people of Singapore, my family - especially my five-year-old son. He is
an innocent party to this unfortunate and extremely stressful situation. I wish for nothing
more than to be forgiven for my poor judgement and given a second chance to rebuild
the trust people had in me as a resident of this City – specifically for my family.
Regards,
Anton S Casey
b) Is the apology effective overall?
NO …
c) Why not?
Felicity conditions for apology
- Admission of fault
- Sincere expression of remorse
- Promise of non-recurrence
c) Why is the apology not effective?
x More description of actions rather than
addmission of fault
(see underlined statements)
x His apology can be interpreted to carry more
obligation than remorse (statement in red)
c) Why is the apology not effective?
Possible alternative?
“It was my fault for making a misguided attempt at
humour.’’
Underlying implication- aware of his mistakes and the
consequences.
In contrast, when he merely described his behavior, it
shows that he was aware of his actions but he did not
think that he was wrong.
Cont’d
 Universal felicity conditions by using present tense and writing
as a first person subject
x Showed little expression of remorse. (I regret, I sincerely
apologize…)
x Failed to make a promise of non-recurrence.
x Attempt to convey a ‘sincere’ apology backfires when one reads
the rest of the letter and realizes how insincere his apology was
due to the abovementioned elements that were missing.
Cont’d
Overall…
Focus of Casey’s apology attempt seems more like a
plea rather than an apology where he should have
admitted his mistakes, showed remorse and promised
never to let it happen again.