Pragmatics
Pragmatics

Pragmatics studies how human
communication functions.
Pragmatics
Pragmatics studies how human
communication functions.
 The problem is: how does this process
of human interaction function?

– And

What is successful linguistic
communication
Pragmatics

The Message Model of Communication
Pragmatics

The Message Model of Communication
– Message is encoded by speaker
– Message is carried through sounds
– Message is decoded by hearer
Pragmatics

The Message Model of Communication
– Message is encoded by speaker
– Message is carried through sounds
– Message is decoded by hearer

Problems with the message model:
Pragmatics

The Message Model of Communication
– Message is encoded by speaker
– Message is carried through sounds
– Message is decoded by hearer

Problems with the message model:
– Does not immediately answer the problem
of ambiguity.
Pragmatics

The Message Model of Communication
– Message is encoded by speaker
– Message is carried through sounds
– Message is decoded by hearer

Problems with the message model:
– Does not immediately answer the problem
of ambiguity.
– Thus, it is dependent on contextual cues.

Flying planes can be dangerous.
Pragmatics
– The underdetermination of reference:

An utterance can refer to more than one thing:
“A shrewd politician” could mean Winston
Churchil or Richard Nixon or any number of
other people.
– The underdetermination of communicative
intent

I’ll be there tonight
– a promise
– a predicion
– or a threat
Pragmatics
– Nonliterally

Sarcasm, metaphor
– Oh, that’s just great
– Indirection

We sometimes mean to communicate more
than our sentences mean.
– My car has a flat tire
– (to the gas station attendant)
– (to the investigating officer)
Pragmatics
– Non-communicative acts
Pragmatics
– Non-communicative acts

Speech acts of social significance (institutional
acts):
– Baptism (the baby cannot decode the message,
although he is the one whose social status is
changed.)
– Perlocutionary acts: attemtps to impress, deceive or
persuade which may not do so, since the hearer is
expecting them.
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
– Linguistic communication is successful if
the hearer recognizes the speaker’s
communicative intention. Linguistic
communication works because the speaker
and hearer share a system of inferential
strategies leading from the utterances of
an expression to the hearers recognition of
the speaker’s communicative intent.
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
– The Inferential Approach presumes the
following:
– Linguistic Presumption (LP): it is assumed
that the hearer can determine meaning.
– Communicative Presumtion (CP): it is
assumed that the speaker is speaking to
someone with some intent
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
– Presumption of Literalness (PL): it is
assumed that the speaker means what he
says
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
– Presumption of Literalness (PL): it is
assumed that the speaker means what he
says
– Conversational Presumptions (ConPs)
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
– Presumption of Literalness (PL): it is
assumed that the speaker means what he
says
– Conversational Presumptions (ConPs)




Relevance - remarks are relevant
Sincerity - speakers is being sincere
Truthfulness - speakers is attempting to say
something true
Quantity - there is enough information
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
– Direct Strategy to Communication
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
– Direct Strategy to Communication

Step 1 - Utterance act, the hearer recognizes
what the speaker has uttered.
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
– Direct Strategy to Communication


Step 1 - Utterance act, the hearer recognizes
what the speaker has uttered.
Step 2 - Operative meaning, the hearer
recognizes which meaning of the expression is
intended.
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
– Direct Strategy to Communication



Step 1 - Utterance act, the hearer recognizes
what the speaker has uttered.
Step 2 - Operative meaning, the hearer
recognizes which meaning of the expression is
intended.
Step 3 - Speaker reference, the hearer
recognizes what the speaker is referring to.
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
– Direct Strategy to Communication

Step 4 - Direct, the hearer recognizes what the
speaker is intending to communicate directly
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
– Literal Strategy
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
– Literal Strategy

Step 5 - Contextual appropriateness, the hearer
recognizes that it would be contextually
appropriate for the speaker to be speaking
literally.
Pragmatics

Inferential Approach
– Literal Strategy


Step 5 - Contextual appropriateness, the hearer
recognizes that it would be contextually
appropriate for the speaker to be speaking
literally.
Step 6 - Literal, the hearer recognizes what the
speakers is intending to communicate literally
and directly.