Chap与ter 8 语言学-Pragmatics.ppt

Chapter Eight Pragmatics;Teaching Focus;1. Some basic notions;1.1 The definition of pragmatics;1.2 Pragmatics and semantics;1.3 Context;Context determines the speakers use of language and also the hearer’s interpretation of what is said to him. Let’s see how it determines the hearer’s interpretation.;It’s cold in here. ;1.4 Sentence and utterance;Sentence → abstract and decontextualized Utterance → concrete and context-dependent The meaning of an utterance is based on sentence meaning; it is the realization of the abstract meaning of a sentence in a real situation of communication, or simply in a context.;2. Speech Act Theory;2.1 Constatives vs. performatives;Performatives: utterances which are used to perform acts, do not describe or report anything at all; the uttering of the sentence is the doing of an action; they cannot be said to be true or false. Performative verbs: name, bet, etc.;I do. I name this ship Queen Elizabeth. I bet you sixpence it will rain tomorrow. I give and bequeath my watch to my brother. I declare the meeting open. I warn you that the bull will charge.;Features of performatives First person singular subject Simple present tense Indicative mood Active voice Performative verbs;Please see the following utterances, tell whether they are constatives or performatives. I will come in a few seconds. I was reading a novel last night. You are responsible for this accident. He is in charge of our department.;Conclusions: The distinction between constatives performatives cannot be maintained. All sentences can be used to do things. Speech act theory: we are performing actions when we are speaking.;2.2 A theory of illocutionary act;According to his new model, a speaker might be performing three acts simultaneously when speaking: locutionary act, illocutionary act, and perlocutionary act. Therefore, speech acts can be analyzed on 3 levels. ;A locutionary act → the act of saying something in the full sense of “say”. Saying X. An illocutionary act → an