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The goals of a Pragmatic theory
1. What is pragmatics?
Semantics and pragmatics the study of meaning
What is it meant by that?
To know what someone meant, we need to know
the meanings of the words (semantics)
how words are strung together into a sentence (syntax)
who uttered the sentence & in what context (pragmatics)
I’m taking a course in modern English grammar
Thus, pragmatics is the study of the speaker meaning^1
(^1) Some authors (Huang 2007: 2) define pragmatics as the study of meaning dependent on the use of language. Relevance Theory (RT) considers meaning as the one intended by the speaker.
includes verbal &
non-verbal
elements
varies depending on the context, the relationship between people, prior experience & knowledge
1.1. The gap between linguistic meaning and speaker meaning
Sentence meaning Speaker meaning what a sentence or word means
what a speaker means (intends to convey) when s/he uses a piece of language
There is often a divergence between
Sentence/linguistic meaning speaker meaning.
Hearers are interested in what speakers mean, ignoring sometimes the fact that speakers’ words may mean something else.
- We need laws that protect everyone. Men and women, straights and gays, regardless of sexual perversion... ah, persuasion... (New York Congresswoman, Bella Abzug)
- The worst German chancellor instead of West German Chancellor.
- Piss the bottom instead of push the button. (Students of English Instrumental I)
Slip−of−the−tongue−cases: a speaker accidentally & unconsciously uses a different word from the one s/he wanted to use
In some cases this clue is very skeletal (incomplete sentences):
- Not in here.
Even with a complete sentence, the meaning of the speaker’s words may fall short of what the hearer takes him/her to mean :
8. I’ve got a headache carries several meanings
according to when it is used
who uses it ( speaker )
who the person is talking to ( hearer )
where the conversation takes place
If a patient said it to a doctor, it could mean: I need a
prescription.
If a father said it to his teenage son or daughter, it could
mean: Turn down the music.
If 2 friends were talking, it could mean: I’ve got a hangover
from last night’s party.
If it were used as a response to an invitation from one friend
to another, such as Fancy a drink? , it could simply mean: No.
In any language,
GAP
Pragmatics = study of language in context
Semantics = study of linguistic meaning , independent of context
What is
said
what is
meant
Your turn! Can you analyze different speaker meanings from the following example?
I’ll take care of you.
1.2. Sentence, utterance, proposition
- Utterance physical event and ephemeral
The use of a piece of language –a sequence of sentences, a phrase, or a word– by a particular speaker on a particular occasion.
9. (a) Hello! (b) A cappuccino, please (c) Lance Armstrong won the centenary Tour de France.
Sentence abstract linguistic entity
A well-formed string of words put together by the grammatical rules of a language.
10. (a) Lance Armstrong won the centenary Tour de France. (b) * Lance Armstrong the centenary Tour de France won.
+ Proposition mental representations with meaning
To say something, T or F, about some state of affairs in the world, i.e. what sentences express.
A B S T R A C T
If I am having a hard day, I may tell you:
13. My day was a nightmare
I don’t intend you to take nightmare (a bad dream) literally
semantic meaning differs from its pragmatic meaning
the meaning I intended in the context of my utterance
Our knowledge of pragmatics, like all our linguistic knowledge, is rule-governed.
Speakers within a language community
share pragmatic principles about language production & interpretation in context
knowledge about how to use language appropriately
pragmatic competence is generally implicit
My day was a nightmare
means that my day was very unpleasant
very unpleasant experiences, situations Nightmares can be experienced by someone who is asleep
Pragmatics makes explicit the implicit knowledge guiding us in selecting interpretations.
a meaning that may vary from context to context
The same utterance means different things in different contexts, and to different people
Speakers usually mean much more than they say explicitly
Hearers have to figure out what meaning speakers might have intended
- Can you express deep grief?
psychiatrist to patient movie director to actor
a question about an ability a request
are you able to do so? please do so
literal meaning = semantics intended meaning = pragmatics
References
Blakemore, D. (1992), Understanding Utterances , Oxford: Blackwell. Huang, Y. (2007), Pragmatics. Oxford: OUP. Hurford, J.R. & B. Heasley (1983), Semantics: A Coursebook , Cambridge: CUP. Sperber, D. & D. Wilson (1995), Relevance. Oxford: Blackwell.
Recommended reading and practice
Units 1 − 3 in Hurford & Heasley Sperber & Wilson (1995), pp. 1−15 and 21−28.
