Chapter 6 Pragmatics

6.1 Introduction

Review of semantics  Meaning in lg.  words Mothervs.Mother-in-law  sentence: in, am, I, T-shirt, today

Review of semantics “ I’m in T-shirt today.”  What does the sent. mean ? ↓  What does the speaker mean ?  What does the utterance mean ?

Pragmatics  speaker mg. semantics + pragmatics=study of mg. “ I’m in T-shirt today.” “Mum, I’m in T-shirt today.” “Mum, I’m in T-shirt today.”Mum, I’m in T-shirt todayMum, I’m in T-shirt today

Social norms Belief Motivation Social setting Lg. users Time, space Non-verbal Pre-text Context speaker mg.: dependent on ???

Social norms Belief Motivation Social setting Lg. users Time, space Non-verbal Pre-text Context speaker mg.: context-dependent Physical Social Mental

Pragmatics = study of mg in  context;  use;  communication;  What does the speaker mean ?  What does the utterance mean ?

Pragmatics Semantics  Concrete  Implicit  Abstract  Explicit 该来的没有来，不该走的倒走了。 Man: Do you love me? Woman: Well, I like you. conversational implicature

Pragmatics  Waste basket

Indispensable ‘basket’ e.g. “ Today is Sunday.”  Situation 1  Situation 2 …………  Pragmatic mg.  conversational implicature

SALE: BABY & TODDLER p.142

6.2 Micropragmatics

Ss presentation  real life instances  the speaker means more than what s/he said

Lead-in task (3) You’ll have to bring that back tomorrow, because they aren’t here now. (3) You’ll have to bring that back tomorrow, because they aren’t here now. TB example p.144  (1) A: Where is the fresh salad sitting? B: He’s sitting by the door. B: He’s sitting by the door.

Lead-in task p.146 p.146 (6) When did you stop beating your wife? TB example p.145  (4) A: Can I borrow your dictionary? B: Yeah, it’s on the table. B: Yeah, it’s on the table.

Discussion Keywords:  Reference  Deixis  Anaphora  Presupposition Ss’ exapmples Ss’ definitions

Discussion  Deixis –person deixis –space/spatial/place deixis –discourse deixis –social deixisCompare person deixis vs. social deixis

Discussion  Presupposition Features: What are presupposition triggers? TB p.147 Q: Does one sentence just allow for one presupposition?

In-class activities 1. video clip (twice) Sound of Music Task: To identify specific reference, deixis, anaphora and presuppositions involved Comment and feedback

In-class activities 2. Brain teaser “when 1+1=3?” Task: To identify the presupposition(s) involved Comment and feedback

6.3 Macropragmatics

lead-in tasks  Act out Ss in pairs act out typical situations of apologizing, promising, commanding and congratulating  Find out the specific utterances perfroming these actions

Discussion  Compare e.g. Mr Smith was mad with his secretary. Vs. e.g. Stop that nonsense, Joe.  Find out differences in their com. value ‘saying things’ Vs. ‘doing things with words’ ‘doing things with words’

Discussion  Speech act theory What?Who?  performative act e.g. TB p.149 Trichotomy= locution+illocution+perlocution locution+illocution+perlocution

 A. Locutionary act: the act of saying, the literal meaning of the utterance;  B. Illocutionary act: the extra meaning of the utterance produced on the basis of its literal meaning;  C. Perlocutioanry act: the effect of the utterance on the hearer, depending on specific circumstances.

(18) a. Husband: That’s the phone. b. Wife: I’m in the bathroom. b. Wife: I’m in the bathroom. c. Husband: Okay. c. Husband: Okay.Analysis:

In-class activities brainstormTask: To brainstorm five sorts of situations where the speaker:  states a fact,  makes a suggestion,  turns down a offer,  express an attitude and  delivers a declaration

In-class activities Classification of illocutionary acts  Representatives  Directives  Commissives  Expressives  Declarations

Demonstration  Ss offer examples for directives  Identify the degrees of indirectness  Compare forms and functions indirect speech acts What? TB (p.152-3)

6.3.2 The Cooperative Principle

lead-in tasks  Act out Ss in pairs strike a short conversation in whatever way as they wish. (two groups present)  Find out whether there are principles governing the conduct of conversation

Discussion Ss comment on four aspects of conversation:  quality  quantity  relation  manner

Discussion the Cooperative Principle: For what? By whom? Maxims:  Maxim of quality  Maxim of quantity  Maxim of relation  Maxim of manner

Discussion the Cooperative Principle: ObservingFlouting conversational implicatures: TB examples (33, 40, 41, 42)

In-class activities CP-based analysis Data: verbal jokes Task: to identify conversational implicatures derived from non-observance of certain CP maxims

In-class activities CP-based analysis Data: metaphor, irony or tautology Task: to account for their meanings on the ground of CP

6.3.3 The Politeness Principle

lead-in tasks  pick up Ss watch the comedy clip (bu chaqian 《不差 钱》, picking up 5 utterances conveying conversational implicatures  Find out why speakers always bother with implicit and indirect ways of saying things

Discussion  evaluate Ss’ accounts  Approach the weakness of the CP

In-class activities Fulfill the goal Task: Ss design a situation where they:  show disagreement with your manager  borrow money from your bad-tempered brother Maxim of relation  let your kids know that you cannot stay with them for the coming Xmas

In-class activities  Ss presentation  Are there politeness considerations?  The Politeness Principle (TB p. 158) Who? For what? Maxims

Puzzle session Big Q: Are there culture-specific differences between Chinese and westerners (e.g. English and Americans) in what counts to be politeness of verbal behaviors?

Exercises and Discussion Questions TB (p ) extended exercises