语言学笔记The Use of English

The Use of English

Pragmatic Approach to Language

8.1.1Pragmatics（语用学）

It is the study of meaning in use. meaning in context. speaker meaning. contextual meaning.

Pragmatics studies communication (utterance production and comprehension) from a functional . social, cultural, cognitive) perspective.

8.1.2 Semantics(语义学) Pragmatics

Semanticism: semantics includes pragmatics

Pragmaticism: pragmatics includes semantics

Complementarism: semantics studies meaning in the abstract; pragmatics studies meaning in the context/use.

Deictic Expressions （指示语）

8.2.1Deixis

Deixis: (from Greek) anchoring, pointing (toward the context) phenomenon.

The linguistic means used in this function are known as deictics, indexicals ( or indexical / deictic expressions).

Examples: pronouns, demonstratives, time and place adverbs, and some grammatical categories such as tense.

8.2.2 Characteristics in use

The egocentricity of deixis

Deictic expressions are anchored to specific points in the communicative event. The unmarked points, called the deictic center, are typically assumed to be as follows (S. Levinson: Pragmatics): I love this

game!

1) the central person is the speaker

2) the central time is the time at which the speaker produces the utterance

3) the central place is the speaker’s location at utterance time

4) the discourse center is the point which the speaker is currently at in the production of his utterance

5) the social center is the speaker’s social status and rank, to which the status or rank of addressees or referents is relative.

8.2.3 Deictic VS. Non-deictic

Deictic: gestural/symbolic

You, you, but not you, are dismissed. (gestural)

What did you say (Symbolic)

Non-deictic: anaphoric /non-anaphoric

Jack is a student. He comes from Britain.

You can never tell what sex they are nowadays.

There you go again./There we go.

I did this and that.

8.2.4 Classification of deictic

Person deixis

Place deixis

Time deixis

Social deixis

Discourse deixis

Speech Act Theory

Saying is acting. (John Austin, How to Do Things with Words, 1962)

“Speech acts” refer to actions performed via utterances.

Speech acts are “the basic or minimal units of linguistic communication”.

8.3.1 Constatives (表述句） and performatives （施为句）

a. There is a book on the desk.

b. I promise I’ll be there ten s harp tomorrow.

hereby-test: first person singular subject, simple present tense, indicative mood, active voice, performative verbs (with exceptions, though)

8.3.3 Collapse of Performative Hypothesis

a. Not all performative utterances require a performative verb;

b. An utterance with a performative verb may not be the type of act suggested by the verb;

8.3.4 felicity conditions （适切条件）

a. Essential condition （基本条件）

b. Preparatory condition (预备条件）

c. Propositional content condition （命题内容条件）

d. Sincerity condition （真诚条件）

Felicity conditions for a promise:

1) The speaker can do what is promised; (基本）

2）The promised act has not taken place yet; (预备）

3）The utterance is about a future act; The promised act is to the benefit of the hearer; The promised act will be fulfilled by the speaker;（命题内容）

4) The speaker means what he says. （真诚）

etc.

Searle’s classification of illocutionary acts