Communication happens in a context. –All meaning is situated. –In the context of a situation –In the context of a culture

Communication happens in a context. –All meaning is situated. –In the context of a situation –In the context of a culture –Ex. “Just put it there beside those other ones.” Meaning depends on the situation and the culture –Someone is unloading a truck full of household goods –Someone is unpacking a medicine bundle

Context of Culture –determines what we mean through… being ‘who we are’ doing ‘what we do’ saying ‘what we say’

Context of Situation Specified through the register variables… –FIELD –TENOR –MODE

Context of Situation Specified through the register variables… –FIELD Experiential/ideational meaning –TENOR Interpersonal meaning –MODE Intertextual meaning

FIELD Refers to what is going on, including –Activity focus (nature of social activity) –Object focus (subject matter)

FIELD Ideational Meaning –About phenomena – things Living and non-living Abstract and concrete Surrounding circumstances Realized through participants, processes and circumstances

TENOR Refers to the social relationships between those taking part. –Interpersonal Status or power (agency, peerage, hierarchy) Affect (degree of like, dislike or neutrality) Contact (frequency, duration, intimacy of social contact)

TENOR –Interpersonal Meaning Expresses the speaker’s (writer’s) attitudes and judgements Acting upon and with others Realized in words through mood and modality Influenced by the tenor of discourse

MOOD Declarative Imperative Interrogative

MOOD Declarative: we read your blogs every week Imperative: write your blog now! Interrogative: did you write your blog? Degree of formality or informality Attitudinal Axis: incompetent fool

MODALITY Attitude or judgment, adverbs: Fortunately,…/Unfortunately,… Modal verbs: –Your blog might be read; –Your blog should be read.

MODE Intertextual meaning Channel of communication – spoken or written Language is being used as a mode of action of reflection

CONTEXT The Field is the total event, in which the text is functioning, together with the purposive activity of the speaker or writer; thus including the subject-matter as one element of it.

CONTEXT The Field is the total event, in which the text is functioning, together with the purposive activity of the speaker or writer; thus including the subject-matter as one element of it. The Mode is the function of the text in the event; spoken or written, genre - narrative, persuasive, etc.

CONTEXT The Field is the total event, in which the text is functioning, together with the purposive activity of the speaker or writer; thus including the subject-matter as one element of it. The Mode is the function of the text in the activity; spoken or written, genre - narrative, persuasive, etc. The Tenor refers to the type of role interaction, social relations, between participants.

AUTHENTICITY Literacy Events and Speech Acts Are authentic insofar as they take place in a genre, a social pattern created for a purpose and function. To make sense of what we read or hear, the context or situation must be known. Decontextualized language is particularly hard on language learners

ASSIGNMENT As you use your computer, make notes about what you do as you wait for it.