This PowerPoint helps students to consider the concept of infinity.
Chapter 14.1 pptx.pptx
1. E X P L O R I N G T E X T A N D M E A N I N G
14.1 Language, context and
understanding
2. M A K I N G S E N S E O F M E S S A G E S
Introduction
3. What is pragmatics?
Can you give examples of sentences people could
commonly say that don’t mean exactly what they
seem?
Have you ever had an argument or
misunderstanding caused by another person’s
words?
Pragmatics: the study of how people make sense
out of a message in relation to context, and their
knowledge about the speech event and/or world they
live in.
how language and context interact, and how language
users negotiate meaning while communicating.
5. Malcolm comes out of the bathroom…
Me: Do you want to wash your hands?
Malcolm: No thanks.
Me: Lemme reword that…
6. D E T E R M I N I N G M E A N I N G ,
D E T E R M I N I N G I N T E N T
Some preliminary observations
7. Beyond true/false
Not everything we say is a simple proposition that
can be evaluated as true or false.
Language must cover a range of social behavior:
much goes beyond a literal meaning and is not
subject to precise definition(s).
We often don’t mean what we say, or seem to say
something irrelevant, while still being “cooperative.”
Listeners must anticipate the needs of the speaker, and
the speaker must take into account the likely
assumptions and reactions of the listener.
8. L I N G U I S T I C A N D S I T U A T I O N A L
Context
9. Linguistic context
Explain situational and linguistic context.
Situational context: the features that describe the
particular context of the interaction (people,
relationship, specifics of the situation)
Linguistic context: when and where the
conversation takes place, and what has already been
said.
Also, social-psychological aspects relating to how
people think others should behave, how we feel
towards our interlocutors, etc.
12. I N T E R L O C U T O R S W O R K I N G T O G E T H E R
The cooperative principle
13. Cooperative principle
For communication to work, interlocutors have
to cooperate.
We recognize ground rules that govern language
use and interpretations of the use of language by
others (for instance, what is assumed and
required within specific interactions).
14. Four Maxims
Maxim of Quantity Maxim of Quality
Maxim of Relation Maxim of Manner
Explain the concept
provide examples
Give an example of flouting and violating the maxim
Violating – speaker intends to mislead/cause
misunderstanding
Flouting/opting out/suspending (for humor,
ethical/privacy reasons, tact)
15. Maxim of quantity
Maxim of quantity
1. Make your contribution as informative as required
(for the current purposes of the exchange).
2. Do not make your contribution more information
than is required.
Don’t say too much or too little. Say just enough to
make your message clear.
16. Maxim of quality
Maxim of quality.
1. Do not say what you believe to be false.
2. Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence.
Is a listener able to rely on what the speaker is saying?
It has a ‘supermaxim’ of try to make your
contribution one that is true.
17. Maxim of relation
The maxim of relation:
1. Be relevant
The maxim is intended to provide the means of
dealing with the variety of ways people wind their way
through conversation.
18. Maxim of manner
The maxim of manner has the supermaxim be
perspicuous (clear):
Avoid obscurity of expression.
Avoid ambiguity.
Be brief (avoid unnecessary prolixity).
Be orderly.
In other words, be clear, be organised, and don’t be
long-winded. Furthermore, don’t confuse or mislead
your interlocutors.
19. What Maxim is being broken?
Quantity
Quality
Relation
Manner
20. What Maxim is being broken?
Bojack Horseman, S1 E1, 6:12
23. Doctor: It seems as if the patient is suffering from
hypoxia, possibly resulting in anoxia, or respiratory
distress caused by complete obstruction of the
trachea.
(they’re choking)
24. X: Does your dog bite?
Y: No.
(X reaches down to pet - dog bites X)
X: Hey! You said my dog doesn’t bite!
Y: That’s not my dog.
25. What Maxim is being flouted?
Bojack Horseman, S1 E1, 6:12
26. What Maxim is being flouted?
My grandfather “going out for pie and a newspaper.”
27. What Maxim is being flouted?
X: Hey let’s go to the movies!
Y: I have a test tomorrow.
28. What Maxim is being flouted?
BoJack Horseman Season 2, Episode 10, 12:20
29. A final note on maxims
These aren’t laws, and don’t express values that are
adhered to or accepted across all cultures.
The maxisms are reference points for language
interchange, or ground rules for getting your message
across to an audience.
Without the Cooperative Principle, we wouldn’t have
a basis for deciding whether or not utterances made
sense, or what value should be put on them.
31. Inferencing
Inferencing involves using contextual clues,
background knowledge, and logic to arrive at a
reasonable interpretation of a text or utterance
32. Presuppositions
Presuppositions – things speakers assume
Where is Tom living now?
Tom exists
We both know Tom
Speaker thinks Tom has moved
Listener might know where
They are part of the background assumptions both
speakers and hearers must share for utterances to be
considered appropriate in a given context.
33. Inferencing
Q: Hey, wanna have a picnic? (possible answers?)
A: It’s raining.
implicatures - things implied by what the speaker
says.
Q: Can I have a cookie?
A: I don’t know, can you?
(what implicature is being ignored by A?)
34. Making sense
What are the implicatures?
Fritz: That’s the door!
Siggy: I’m in the shower!
Fritz: OK.
Inference and implicature are two sides of the same
coin: we typically imply more than assert, and infer
more than is asserted.
35. Cooperation without maxims
Define irony, sarcasm, hyperbole, and metaphor
Irony: use of an expression that signifies the opposite of the
literal (usual) meaning.
Lovely day, isn’t it?
Sarcasm: ironic remarks that appear to be positive/in praise
but are negative/hurtful.
This example is just fantastic. Flawless, even.
Hyperbole: exaggerated language for emphasis.
The last example was the worst example in the history of examples.
Metaphor: the use of figurative expressions to refer to
something they do not literally denote in order to suggest a
similarity.
heart of stone, all the world’s a stage
36. Everyday violation of maxims
We routinely, probably daily contravene Grice’s
maxims (especially the Maxim of Quality).
However, irony, sarcasm, hyperbole, and metaphor
are not intended to deceive. Instead, they rely on an
interlocutor's ability to add meaning beyond the
literal, to look for extra significance.
For instance, our uses of sarcasm are not intended to
be take literally! We are participating, not deceiving.
38. What maxim is being flouted?
What is the implicature?
Bonnie getting ready to go out for dinner...
Me: How much longer do you need?
Bonnie: Why don’t you have a beer.
