PRAGMATICS of Defamation

Definitions What is defamation? 1.a false report maliciously uttered to person’s injury (OED); 2.an intentional false communication, either published or publicly spoken, that injures another’s reputation or good name (Black’s Legal Dictionary)

Types of Defamation Defamation 1) slander: ordinary speech 2) libel: publication 3) group vilification: deprecating a group freedom of speech  freedom from distress

Conditions of Defamation 3 conditions: false, intentional, harmful  all three conditions need to be met (1) 타블로는 스탠포드를 다닌 적이 없다. (2) 황현희는 삼성그룹 회장이다. (3) 김병만은 거의 난장이야.

Intentionality Cassidy v. Daily Mirror Newspaper ‘the liability of libel does not depend on intention of the defamer, but on the fact of defamation’ A publisher can be held liable even when unaware of the defamatory nature of a report. The liability depends on mere communication of the defamatory matter to a third person.

Manners of Defamation Defamation can be made by implication or innuendo. (4) A: 황현희는 왜 연말 연예대상에서 상을 못 받았을까 ? B: 황현희, 걔 음주운전 했잖아. C: 황현희 ~ 하면 불편한 진실이 떠올라. D: 황현희에 비하면 김준호는 약과야.

National differences In the USA it is difficult and less common for a person to be successfully sued for slander since the constitutional right to free speech is often taken to override other considerations. In other countries of the Common Law derived from Britain, slander and libel are still actively pursued in court. McDonalds v. British environmental activists

Pragmatics a systematic way of explaining language use in context. the study of linguistic acts and the contexts in which they are performed. (Stalnaker 1972: 383) the study of how humans make use of language in a wide range of contexts as they manage their complex interpersonal behaviors and interactions.

In other words… Pragmatics is a study of how people produce and comprehend a communicative act in a concrete speech situation which is usually a conversation. It rejects the notion that all meaning comes from signs existing purely in the abstract space of langue.

Pragmatics & other disciplines Pragmatics has close relationships with other disciplines which have a concern for language and language in use, such as Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, Mass Communication, Education, Information Technology, Neurology, Computing, Law, Philosophy and Management.

Speech Act Analysis of Defamation (Celis 1999) clear & simple cases: 1.The speaker may not intend to hurt the hearer (illocution), and a ‘reasonable person’ would interpret the illocution in this way (perlocution). This is clearly not defamation. 2.The speaker may not intend to hurt the hearer (illocution), but a ‘reasonable person’ would interpret the illocution as hurtful (perlocution) so the speaker is guilty of not taking reasonable care.

Speech Act Analysis of Defamation (Celis 1999) 3.The speaker intended to hurt the hearer (illocution), and a reasonable person’ would interpret the illocution as hurtful (perlocution). This is vilification. not so clear and simple cases: 4. The speaker intended to hurt the hearer (illocution), and a ‘reasonable person’ would interpret the illocution as hurtful (perlocution), but the hearer felt no hurt. It could be hard to justify this as a case of defamation.

Speech Act Analysis of Defamation (Celis 1999) 5.The speaker may not intend to hurt the hearer (illocution), and a ‘reasonable person’ would interpret the illocution in this way (perlocution), but a particular type of hearer has particular sensibilities which cause that hearer to be hurt by the language. ‘reasonable person’: in judgments it seems that reasonable person readings are in fact a reading of the degree to which a particular meaning has been linked to a particular form.

Micropragmatics & Macropragmatics 언어 사용은 사회와 인지가 만나는 곳에서 결 정된다. 언어 사용을 인지의 영역에 속하는 문법과의 관계 하에서 연구하려는 경향이 미시화용론 언어 사용을 보다 높은 수준의 인간들의 상호 작용으로서 의사소통 체계로 보고 그 특성에 대해 연구하려는 경향이 거시화용론

언어 사용, 의사소통, 문법 사회 의사소통 거시화용론 언어 사용 미시화용론 문법 인지

서강에서의 화용론 연구 1. 거시화용론 연구 : 제도적 언어, 광고 언어, 법과 언어, 언어와 문화, 언어 행위 등을 주로 다룸 2. 미시화용론 연구 : 언어와 사고, 화용적 추론, 언어 사용의 인 지적 측면, 언어 처리 등을 주로 다룸

Multiple layers of meanings Pragmatics distinguishes at least two intents or meanings in every utterance or communicative act of verbal communication. One is the informative intent or the sentence meaning, and the other the communicative intent or speaker meaning (Leech, 1983; Sperber and Wilson, 1986).

Need salt? There isn’t any salt down here. I could use some salt. I’d appreciate it if you could pass the salt. Can you pass the salt? Could you possibly pass the salt? Is there any salt down there? I can’t eat without salt. I was wondering if you might pass the salt.

Types of Requests (Blum-Kulka, House and Kasper, 1989) LevelDescriptive CategoryExamples Direct 1. Mood DerivableClean up the kitchen. Level 2. PerformativeI'm asking you to clean up the kitchen. 3. Hedged PerformativeI would like to ask you to clean up the kitchen Conven- 4. Obligation StatementYou'll have to clean up the kitchen. tionally 5. Want StatementI want you to clean up the kitchen. Indirect 6. Suggestory FormulaHow about cleaning up the kitchen? Level 7. Query PreparatoryCould you clean up the kitchen? Unconven- 8. Strong Hint You've left the kitchen in a right mess. tionally 9. Mild HintWe don't want any mess in the kitchen. Indirect Level

Types of Requests ( 윤시온, 2008) LevelDescriptive CategoryExamples Direct 1. Mood Derivable 부엌 청소해. Level 2. Performative 부엌 청소하는 거 부탁할게. 3. Hedged Performative 부엌 청소하는 거 부탁했으면 해 Conven- 4. Obligation Statement 부엌 청소해야 해. tionally 5. Want Statement 부엌 청소했으면 좋겠다. Indirect 6. Suggestory Formula 부엌 청소하는 게 어때 ? Level 7. Query Preparatory 부엌 청소해 줄 수 있어 ? Unconven- 8. Strong Hint 너 부엌 어질러 놨더라. tionally 9. Mild Hint 난 부엌은 항상 깨끗했으면 좋겠어. Indirect Level

Types of Slandering LevelDescriptive CategoryExamples Direct 1. Assertion 황현희는 인간 쓰레기다. Level Conven- 4. Echoic Report 황현희는 인간 쓰레기라던데. tionally 5. Indirect 6. Level Unconven- 8. Mild Hint 황현희가 좋다는 사람은 이상한 거 아닐까 ? tionally 9. Indirect Level

CCSARP (Cross-cultural Study of Speech Act Realization Project) 여러 문화에서 언어행위에 영향을 주는 변 인들을 조사하기 위해 1980 년대 미국에서 시작된 프로젝트 프로젝트의 초점은 모국어 화자와 비모국 어 화자를 포함하는 언어 / 문화들이 섞인 사 회적 상황에서 요청 행위와 사과 행위가 실 현되는 모습을 기술하는 데 있음

Pragmatics studies… The factors that decide our choice of language (words, register, intonation, sentence form, tempo, etc.) in interactive communication. The principles that govern our verbal exchange. How we produce & process speech in a given context.