Pragmatics

1. Pragmatics
 Exercise 1.1
Meaning (according to myself): is a mental representationof
something, the sense.
Meaning:
1) What is intended to be or is expressed.The end, purpose or
significance of something. Source:Word Reference diccionary
2) Whatever it is that makes what would otherwise be mere sounds
and inscriptions into instruments of communication and understanding.
The philosophical problem is to demystifythis power, and to relate it to
what we know of ourselves and the world. Contributions to this study
include the theory of speechacts and the investigation of
communication and the relationship between words and ideas, and
words and the world. Source:Oxford Linguistics Diccionary.
 Exercise 1.2
a) Cat: domestic animal of small size.
b) Cream: dairy product, white substance elaborated from milk.
c) Drink: the action of introducing liquids to the stomach
 Exercise 1.3
Cat drink cream : A domestic animal of small size is introducing a white
substance elaborated from milk into its stomach.
 Exercise 1.4
Mike: what happened to that bowl of cream?
Annie: cats drink cream.
Annie means that the cat surely drank the cream because cats drink
cream.
 Exercise 1.5

2. a) Mike and Annie are in the living room. Mike asks Annie whether
she’d like eat dinner in the living room or the kitchen. Annie
replies: It’s cold in here.
SP: It is cold in the place where they are at, the living room.
PP: They should better eat in the kitchen.
b) The queen and her butler, James,are in the drawing room. The
window is open, the queen says: It’s cold in here.
SP: It is cold in the drawing room.
PP: She is asking James to close the window.
 Exercise 1.6
Third context:
Mike and Annie are a couple that is arguing about a feud they had
some minutes ago. Annie is quiet now. Mike asks her: So you are not
talking to me anymore?... It’s cold in here!
SP: the place is cold
PP: Annie is acting distant and cold with Mike
 Exercise 1.7
a) Mike : that’s an interesting hat.
Annie: What do you mean by that?
The meaning concerns pragmatics, what Mike meant with
“interesting”.
b) Steve: Listen to this, ‘no animal bird or reptile shall be kept in the
Flat or any other part of the building without the prior written
consent of the Lessorwhich (if given) shall be deemed to be by
way of licence revocable at will.
Jane: that just means tenants can’t have pets without the
landlord’s written permissionand that even if he does give
permission,he can take it back any time he wants to.

3. The meaning concerns semantics, everything according to a set of
rules.
c) Parent: where are your shoes,young man?
Child: Under my bed.
Parent: When I asked where your shoes were, I wanted you to
put them on!
The meaning concerns pragmatics, the parent clearly states what he
meant.
d) Ed: Lugubrious?
Faye: You know, sort of mournful, not very cheerful.
The meaning concerns semantics, lugubrious means mournful,
dismal, gloomy, etc. Namely the dictionary meaning is the actual
meaning.
e) Dave: What did Macbeth mean when he said that life was a tale
told by an idiot?
Sarah: I guess he thought that life didn’t make any sense.
The meaning concerns pragmatics, these people is discussing what
Macbeth pretended to express with that line.
 Exercise 1.8
a) Her mother is unhappy.
*Her mom is downcast.
b) My friend loathes string beans.
*I have a friend that feels disgusted by string beans.
c) I’ll look for that bookright now.
*I’ll look for that book immediately.
d) Steve hugged Jane.
*He held her tightly.
 Exercise 1.9
We serve shrimps and crabs – 1) In that restaurant, they serve shrimps
and crabs for food (this was my first prediction).2) In that restaurant,
they act as servants for shrimps and crabs. 3) In that restaurant, they
serve food to shrimps and crabs.

4. And tall people and nice people too.
I think 1) In that restaurant,they serve shrimpsand crabs for food, was
my first prediction because I thought the restaurant served seafood.
The reason why I assumed the meaning of the sign, definitely involve
my expectations about the world and people’s behavior, because they
might use this kind of tricky phrases to catch customer’s attention. This
kind of fun signs also show people’s creativity to play with the
intentions of the advertisements.