The basics of meaning in context

1. Speech Act Theory

2. Remember Propositional Logic?

3. Remember Predicate Logic?

4. What problems are there with Logic?

5. You love Logic?

6. Propositional Logic is just letters

7. Predicate Logic doesn’t look like
natural language

8. Objections
• Not natural language
• Artificial mathematical language
• Maybe no connection with natural language
• Maybe no connection with our minds
• Depends on Truth Values

9. Do Truth Values play a part in
language?

10. True or False

11. True or False

12. The Little Prince is standing up

13. The Little Prince is standing up = True

14. The Little Prince is sitting down

15. The Little Prince is sitting down = False

16. The Little Prince is sitting down

17. The Little Prince is sitting down = True

18. The Little Prince is standing up

19. The Little Prince is standing up = False

20. Sitting_down (little_prince) = True

21. Simple True or False situations

22. In simple worlds

23. OK for communicating with computers

24. Or robots … maybe

25. But real world communication is
different

26. For example …

27. Say you’re talking to your robot …

28. … and your robot does something bad!

29. What do you do?

30. Pull the plug out

31. Or, you could have a CODE

32. For example …

33. Siri, don’t do that!

34. Siri, don’t do that! = Stop activity

35. Stop activity!

36. Don’t do that!

37. Don’t do that! = True or False?

38. Don’t do that!
• What is the formula?
• What are the Truth Values

39. Don’t do that!
• True or False?
• 1 or 0?

40. Don’t do that! = Shut down

41. Don’t do that! = Stop activity

42. I promise I’ll come

43. Come where?

44. Where is Siri?

45. C3PO, I promise I’ll come

46. True or False?

47. I promise I’ll come = True if I come

48. I promise I’ll come = False if I don’t
come

49. C3PO, I’ll come

50. I’ll come = True if I come

51. I PROMISE I’ll come

52. What‘s the “promise” bit?

53. I promise I’ll come
• What do we use language for?

54. Not just language

55. Nonverbal, too

56. How much is verbal?

57. How much is nonverbal?

59. We are sharing our intentions

60. Read between the lines

61. 空気を読め！

62. Our communicational intentions go
beyond the meaning of words

63. Indirectness

64. Are Japanese people indirect?

65. Do foreigners say what they are
thinking?

66. How about British people?

67. British people never

68. British people never, ever

69. British people never, ever say what
they are thinking

70. Or almost never

71. I hear what you say = You are wrong
and I do not want to discuss any more

72. With the greatest respect =

73. With the greatest respect = I think you
are stupid

74. With the greatest respect …

75. That’s not bad = that’s good

76. That is very brave

77. That is very brave = you are crazy!

78. That is very brave, Potter.

79. Very interesting =

80. Very interesting = that is nonsense

81. I’ll think about it =

82. I’ll think about it = I’ve forgotten
already

83. I’m sure it’s my fault =

84. I’m sure it’s my fault = It’s your fault

85. I have a few minor comments =

86. I have a few minor comments =
everything is wrong

87. Could we consider some other options
=

88. Could we consider some other options
= your idea is terrible

89. So words don’t just carry meaning like
mathematical formula

90. They also DO things
• I promise
• I warn
• I threaten
• I …

91. I hereby name this ship

92. I hereby name this ship … (?)

93. I hereby name this rubber duck …

94. I declare the Olympic Games open …

95. You can say it as a joke

96. But it doesn’t really open the Olympic
Games

97. Speech Act Theory

98. DOING things with words

99. There’s a huge spider on your head

100. There’s a huge spider on your head
• It IS either True or False
• BUT it does something
• It WARNS about something
• And probably has an effect on the listener
• Even if the listener doesn’t notice the spider

101. Don’t do that

102. Don’t do that!
• Is it either True or False(?)
• It does something
• It commands, orders, offers advice
• And probably has an effect on the listener
• Even if effect is not the one intended

103. Three Speech Acts

104. Locutionary Act
• Just the words and basic meaning
• A bit like Predicate Logic
• No situation
• No context
• No actual speaker
• No actual listener
• Just the words and basic meaning

105. The Little Prince is standing up

106. Sitting_down (little_prince) = True

107. Illocutionary Act
• The “action” of the sentence/utterance
• Command, promise, threat, warn etc
• Can be implicit
• Can be explicit

108. Explicit?
• What’s that?

109. Implicit?
• What’s that?

110. Illocutionary Act: in interaction

111. Getting attention

112. For example …
• Watch out!
• It’s a warning
• Is it explicit?
• No, it’s implicit

113. For example …
• I’m warning you to be careful!
• It’s a warning
• Is it explicit?
• Yes

114. Implicit
• Stop doing that!
• It is a command or warning but it doesn’t say
so explicitly

115. Explicit
• I command you to stop doing that
• You actually say COMMAND

116. • Please hand me the book.
• What is the Speech Act?
• Request
• Explicit or implicit?
• Implicit

117. • I command you to give me the book.
• What is the Speech Act?
• Command
• Explicit or implicit
• Explicit

118. Please shut up

119. Please shut up
• Speech Act?
• Request
• Explicit or implicit?
• Implicit
• Explicit: “I request that you shut up/be quiet”

120. It’s cold in here.
• What’s this?
• Maybe it’s a request
• Please close the window
• Please put on a heater
• Please lend me your jacket
• It’s implicit

121. Perlocutionary Act
• The effect on the LISTENER
• May be intended
• Or unintended

122. Please feed the cat while I am gone

123. Please feed the cat while I am gone
• Intended effect on the listener?
• S/he feeds the cat after you go away

124. I am commanding you to shut up!
• Intended effect on the hearer?
• S/he stops talking
• Possible unintended effect?
• S/he punches you in the face
• S/he talks more loudly to annoy you

125. Possible unintended effect?

126. Maybe the baby cries more?

127. Truth values are not important
• What is important?
• Appropriateness
• Is the utterance appropriate to the situation?

128. Is this appropriate?
• You spoke Japanese in class
• So I sentence you to three years in prison

129. Is this appropriate?
• I hereby declare the end of the world
• I hereby declare the end of the Olympics
• I hereby declare the end of the class