Chapter pragmatics 语言学概论 培训讲解.ppt

Chapter Eight Language in Use;1. Definition of Pragmatics;Speaker’s meaning (A father is trying to get his 3-year-old daughter to stop lifting up her dress to display her new underwear to her peers.) Father: We don’t DO that. Daughter: I KNOW, Daddy. You don’t WEAR dresses. ;Utterance Meaning vs. Sentence Meaning “Utterance” may be defined as a piece of actually used language. In this sense we can divide the study of meaning into two types. One is concerned with the meaning of words and sentences, as abstract units of the language system ,which is studied under the heading of Semantics; the other is concerned with the meaning of utterances, as units of language in use, which is studied under the heading of pragmatics. Pragmatics= meaning - semantics;Utterance Meaning My bag is heavy. The utterance meaning of the sentence varies with the context in which it is uttered. For example, it could be uttered by a speaker as a straightforward statement, telling the hearer that his bag is heavy. It could also be intended by the speaker as an indirect, polite request, asking the hearer to help him carry the bag. Another possibility is that the speaker is declining someone’s request for help. How is it to be understood depends on the context in which it is uttered and the purpose for which the speaker utters it. “Janet! Donkeys!” (David Copperfield); 2. Robert Gibbs named Obama Press Secretary U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has named his longtime spokesman Robert Gibbs as his White House press secretary;Conclusion: Semantic meaning: the more constant, inherent side of meaning Pragmatic meaning: the more indeterminate, the more closely related to context ;1. A: Are you going to the seminar? B: It’s on linguistics. 2. A: Would you like some coffee? B: Coffee would keep me awake.;2. Speech Act Theory;There are two types of sentences: Constatives (叙事句) vs. performatives（施为句） Constativ