Pragmatics
MA English, Semester 04.
Instructor: Faisal Jahangeer
►The study of what speakers mean, or
'speaker meaning', is called Pragmatics.
► Pragmatics is the study of invisible
meaning or how we recognize what is
meant even when it is not actually
said.
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
► Speakers depend on a lot of shared
assumptions and expectations.
► You use the meanings of the words, in
combination, and the context in which they
occur, and you try to arrive at what the
writer of the sign intended his message to
convey.
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
Context
► We have got two kinds of contexts.
► one kind is best described as linguistic
context, also known as cotext.
► The co-text of a word is the set of other
words used in the same phrase or sentence.
► e.g. I get to the bank to cash a cheque.
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
Context
► Bank is homonym. By looking at other
words in the sentence we know which type
of bank is intended.
► another type of context is described as
physical context . Our • understanding of
what we read and hear is tied to the
physical context, particularly the time and
place. • e.g. The word bank on the wall of a
building in a city.
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
Deixis
► There are some words in the language that
cannot be interpreted at all, unless the
physical context is known. “here, there, this,
that, now, then, yesterday, come” ,
pronouns, such as “I, you, him, her, them”,
e.g. You will have to bring that back
tomorrow, because they are not here now.
This sentence is vague.
► You, that, tomorrow, they, here, now =>
these expressions are called deictic.
Deixis
► Person deixis: expressions used to point to a
person.
► Place deixis: words used to point to a location.
►
Time deixis: expressions used to point to a time.
► There is a distinction between what is marked as
close to the speaker (this, that, now). What is
marked as distant (that, there, then).
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
Reference
► Reference is an act by which a speaker uses
language to enable a listener to identify
something.
► e.g. Can I look at your Chomsky ?
► Chomsky refers to sth.
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
Reference
► The key process here is called inference.
An inference is any additional information
used by the listener to connect what is said
to what must be meant. The listener has to
infer that the writer can use the name of
the writer of a book to identify a book.
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
Anaphora
►- Can I have your book?
► - Yeah, it is on the table.
► The second underlined referring expression
is an example of anaphora and the first
mention is called antecedent. ‘Book’ is
antecedent; ‘it’ is the anaphoric expression.
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
Presupposition
► Speakers design their linguistic messages on
the basis of assumptions about what their
hearers already know. What a speaker
assumes is true or known by the hearer can
be described as presupposition.
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
Presupposition
► e.g. Your brother is waiting for you. – There
is a presupposition that you have a brother.
► “Constancy under negation” test is applied
for presupposition.
► My car is wreck. / my car is not wreck. => “
I have a car “ remains true in both.
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
Speech Acts
► The use of the term “speech act” covers
actions such as requesting, commanding,
questioning, informing. We use some
linguistic forms with some functions.
► When a speaker does not know sth and
asks the hearer to provide the information,
she typically produce a direct speech act.
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
Speech Acts
► e.g Can you ride a bike ?
► Some questions are not about your ability to
do sth.
► You would not treat it as a question at all.
Such an expression is described as an
indirect speech act.
► e.g. Can you pass the salt ?
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
Politeness
► Politeness is showing awareness of another
person’s face. Your face is your public self-
image. Face-threatening act represents a
threat to another person’s self image.
Whenever you say sth that lessens the
possible threat to another’s face, it is called
a face – saving act.
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
Negative and Positive Face
► You have both a negative and a positive face.
► Your negative face is the need to be independent
and to have freedom from imposition. (You and I
have the same problem)
► Your positive face is your need to be connected, to
belong, to be a member of the group. (It is your
problem) (You need to find a solution to the
problem)
Instructor MA English, Semester04
Faisal Jahangeer
Questions??????
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