Understanding Pragmatics: Meaning in Context
1. Definition of Pragmatics
While syntax focuses on sentence structure and semantics handles literal meaning, pragmatics is the study of meaning in context. It analyzes how language is actually used by people in real-world situations.
Essentially, pragmatics fills the gap between what a speaker literally says (the sentence meaning) and what they actually intend to communicate (the speaker meaning).
- Example: If someone says, “It’s cold in here,” the literal semantic meaning is a simple statement about
Essential Concepts in Semantics and Pragmatics
Lexical Aspect and Event Types
The “For X Time” Test:
- She knew him for years. ✔
- Not natural for achievements: He arrived for an hour. ✘
The “In X Time” Test: Works with telic events (those with an endpoint).
- Built a house in 2 months. ✔
- Arrived in 5 minutes. ✔
- Bad with atelic events: Ran in 2 hours. ✘ (unless meaning completion).
The Progressive Test: States often resist the progressive form.
- I know French. ✔
- I am knowing French. ✘
- Activities are acceptable: I am running. ✔
- Achievements are
Analyzing Spontaneous Spoken Discourse in Pragmatics
Pragmatics and Spontaneous Spoken Discourse
This text can be analyzed from the perspective of Pragmatics and Conversation Analysis because it represents an example of spontaneous spoken discourse. The interaction takes place between an interviewer, Steve, and an interviewee, Brad, in a semi-formal communicative situation. The conversation contains characteristic features of spoken language such as hesitation markers, interruptions, self-repair, discourse markers, adjacency pairs, and politeness strategies.
Read MoreLinguistic Analysis: Pragmatics, Discourse, and Society
Core Principles of Pragmatics
Pragmatics is the study of what speakers mean when they use language. It focuses on speaker meaning rather than the literal meaning of words. Pragmatics explains how context influences the interpretation of utterances.
Invisible Meaning and Context
Invisible Meaning refers to the meaning that is not explicitly stated but is understood through context and shared knowledge between speaker and listener. In pragmatics, more is communicated than what is actually said.
Context
Read MoreEnglish Communication & Personal Descriptions
English Communication Methods
This section explores various communication preferences and their perceived advantages and disadvantages.
Communication Preferences
- Speaker 1 (Email User): “I usually use email; it’s quicker and easier than anything else, but I get a lot of spam. There’s nothing worse than spam when you’re really busy.”
- Speaker 2 (Letter Writer): “I like to write letters. I know regular mail is slower than email, but letters are more personal. And I never send those e-cards; I just think
Linguistic Analysis of Business Phone Calls
Analyzing Professional Phone Communication
This text analyzes a dialogue: an oral conversation between Michelle, a secretary at Mr. Hibberd’s office, and Peter Jefferson, a caller scheduling an appointment. This interaction serves as a rich example for examining various linguistic theories.
Ethnography of Speaking: The SPEAKING Model
Hymes’ SPEAKING model identifies eight components of linguistic interactions:
- Setting: A professional phone call during office hours, likely morning.
- Participants: Michelle