Pragmatics Predmetni nastavnik: doc. dr Valentna Boskovic Markovic e-mail: vboskovic@sinergija.edu.ba

Definition The study of how people understand or produce speech in certain situations a subfield of linguistics and semiotics that studies the ways in which context contributes to meaning (G. Williams, Why is Pragmatics Studied)

Pragmatic competence Pragmatic competence- the knowledge of social differences between speakers, cultural knowledge, explicit and implicit linguistic meaning

Presupposition Presupposition- an implicit assumption about the world or background belief relating to an utterance whose truth is taken for granted in discourse Jane no longer writes fiction. Presupposition: Jane once wrote fiction. Have you stopped eating meat? Presupposition: you had once eaten meat Have you talked to Hans? Presupposition: Hans exists

Cooperative principle describes how effective communication in conversation is achieved in common social situations, that is, how listeners and speakers must act cooperatively and mutually accept one another to be understood in a particular way (Grice)

Conversational maxims The maxim of quantity, where one tries to be as informative as one possibly can, and gives as much information as is needed, and no more. The maxim of quality, where one tries to be truthful, and does not give information that is false or that is not supported by evidence.

Conversational maxims The maxim of relation, where one tries to be relevant, and says things that are important in the discussion. The maxim of manner, when one tries to be as clear, as brief, and as orderly as one can in what one says, and where one avoids obscurity and ambiguity (Grice)

Implicature refers to what is suggested in an utterance, even though neither expressed nor strictly implied (that is, entailed) by the utterance (Grace) Examples: the sentence "Mary had a baby and got married" strongly suggests that Mary had the baby before the wedding

Performative utterances sentences which are not only describing a given reality, but also changing the social reality they are describing Austin: performative utterances cannot be true or false Performative verbs: state, claim, promise, beg

Examples "I promise to do the dishes.“ "I christen you" "I accept your apology" "I sentence you to death"

Speech acts Locutionary- the act of speaking Illocutionary- saying is doing Perlocutionary- the effect on the interlocutor

Speech acts

Examples

Examples

Examples

Examples Amy: Maybe you’d like to come in and have some coffee? Jack: Yeah, I’d like to! Amy: But I mean COFFEE-coffee, nothing else.

Examples

Examples

Examples

Examples