What is the underlying message? PRAGMATICS What is the underlying message?

Context: Somebody walks into your house. They leave the door open…. What is the implied meaning? What are you really trying to say? You say: ‘Were you born in a barn?’

PRAGMATICS The sentence ‘You have a green light’ is ambiguous. Without knowing the context, the identity of the speaker or their intent – it is not possible to infer the meaning with confidence. For example: It could mean you are holding a green light bulb. Or that you have a green light at the traffic lights when driving. Or it could be indicating that you can go ahead with a project. Or that your body has a green glow.

You say: ‘What have you done?’ ACTIVITY (in pairs) You say: ‘What have you done?’ # Context 1 You haven’t completed the independent study that was set for you last night and you ask a friend to show you theirs. 2 You arrive home to find that your younger brother/sister has moved some of your CDs. 3 A friend shows you some very impressive changes that he/she has made to a room in their house. 4 A friend shows you some not so impressive changes that he/she has made to a room in their house.

Grice’s Maxims: The Co-operative principle Quantity – use an appropriate amount of detail Quality – speak the truth and do not knowingly mislead Relevance – keep it relevant to the topic Manner – avoid vagueness and ambiguity

SPEECH ACT THEORY I’ll have to You get the ‘I’m in the get the bath.’ Context: A married couple are at home. The phone rings... The wife calls out…. Locution (literal sense) Illocution (implied meaning) Perlocution (perceived meaning) ‘I’m in the bath.’ You get the phone. I’ll have to get the phone.

ACTIVITY (in pairs) Peer mark I am not allowed ‘It’s raining.’ Context: A child asks their Mother ‘Can I go out to play?’ The response is… Locution (literal sense) Illocution (implied meaning) Perlocution (perceived meaning) I am not allowed to play out. ‘It’s raining.’ No, you can’t.

CULTURAL ASSUMPTIONS Most pragmatic assumptions rely on our cultural assumptions. A person from another country, or culture, may not understand things that we know.

ACTIVITY (in groups) Analyse the ‘spoof’ Conservative poster using pragmatics. Use the table to help identify features. Think about the context, implied meaning and the impact on the perceiver.

1 Spoof Conservative poster

3 Spoof Conservative poster

ACTIVITY (individual) Post-it! Write one thing you have learnt and one thing you did not understand. HOMEWORK Revise the new terminology: Pragmatics Speech Act Theory Locution Illocution Perlocution Cultural assumptions