Context and Figurative Language in Pragmatics
5) Contextual Sources in Communication
In conversational settings, listeners utilize various contextual sources to interpret meaning:
- (A) Encyclopedic Knowledge: This encompasses general knowledge about the world, cultural norms, social stereotypes, and common sense assumptions.
- (B) Information on the Speaker: Listeners consider specific knowledge about the speaker, including their likes, dislikes, and opinions.
- (C) Recent Actions: Information about recent events or actions, still fresh in the listener’s short-term memory, plays a role in interpretation.
- (D) Speaker’s Non-Verbal Communication: Vocal cues (tone, intonation) and visual cues (smiles, gestures) contribute to understanding.
- (E) Physical Setting: The physical environment surrounding the interlocutors influences interpretation.
- (F) Previous Utterances: Prior statements within the conversation or from previous interactions provide context.
- (G) Linguistic Cues: Specific lexical and grammatical choices made by the speaker offer insights into their intended meaning.
6) The Importance of Context in Pragmatics
Context significantly shapes conversations, influencing their meanings and outcomes. Contextual information is crucial for understanding, as it helps us interpret implicit meanings and intentions. While pragmatics initially viewed context as static, it is now considered a dynamic element, constructed and reconstructed during interpretation.
7) Figurative Language
Figurative language allows for conveying meanings beyond the literal interpretation of words, often expressing complex ideas vividly and concisely. Common forms include:
- Metaphor: Drawing comparisons between different domains, either explicitly (simile) or implicitly.
- Metonymy: Using a part to represent the whole within a specific knowledge domain.
- Idioms: Expressions with meanings that cannot be derived from the literal meanings of their constituent words.
- Proverbs: Concise sayings that convey widely held beliefs or social norms.
- Irony: Conveying the opposite of the literal meaning, often for humorous or sarcastic effect.
- Hyperbole: Exaggerating reality for emphasis or effect.
- Understatement: Downplaying the significance of something.
- Oxymoron: Combining contradictory terms for effect.
- Indirect Requests: Making requests indirectly through questions or statements.
8) Literal vs. Non-Literal Language
- Explicit Communication: Conveying meaning directly through the literal interpretation of words.
- Implicit Communication: Conveying meaning indirectly, requiring listeners to infer meaning from the context.
Degrees of Explicitness:
The more information is explicitly stated, the easier it is to understand. However, implicit communication can convey richer and more nuanced meanings.
Degrees of Implicitness:
The more contextual information required for interpretation, the more implicit the communication. While implicit language can be ambiguous, it also allows for greater subtlety and efficiency in communication.
The strength of an implicature (an implied meaning) depends on the speaker’s intention and the listener’s ability to infer that meaning from the context.