Chapter 6
Pragmatics
6.1 Introduction
Review of semantics

Meaning in lg.

words
Mother
vs.
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.”
speaker mg.: dependent on ???
Social norms
Lg. users
Belief
Time, space
Context
Motivation
Social setting
Non-verbal
Pre-text
speaker mg.: context-dependent
Social norms
Social
Lg. users
Belief
Mental
Motivation
Social setting
Time, space
Physical
Context
Non-verbal
Pre-text
Pragmatics
= study of mg in

context;

use;

communication;

What does the speaker mean?

What does the utterance mean?
Pragmatics


Concrete
Implicit
Semantics


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
TB example p.144
 (1) A: Where is the fresh salad sitting?
B: He’s sitting by the door.
(3) You’ll have to bring that back tomorrow,
because they aren’t here now.
Lead-in task
TB example p.145
 (4) A: Can I borrow your dictionary?
B: Yeah, it’s on the table.
p.146
(6) When did you stop beating your wife?
Discussion
Keywords:
 Reference
 Deixis
 Anaphora
 Presupposition
Ss’ exapmples
Ss’ definitions
Discussion

Deixis
– person deixis
– space/spatial/place deixis
– discourse deixis
– social deixis
Compare
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
video clip (twice)
Sound of Music
Task:
To identify specific reference, deixis,
anaphora and presuppositions involved
1.
Comment and feedback
In-class activities
Brain teaser
“when 1+1=3?”
Task:
To identify the presupposition(s) involved
2.
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’
Discussion
Speech act theory
What?
Who?

performative act
e.g. TB p.149

Trichotomy=
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.
c. Husband: Okay.
Analysis:
In-class activities
brainstorm
Task:
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:
Observing
Flouting
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. 161-2)
extended exercises