Discourse and Pragmatics
Discourse is connected text (spoken, written, or signed) above the sentence level. Some examples of discourse are letters, speeches, conversations, essays, stories, interviews, and novels. (Curzan and Adams, 2012)
"Pragmatics analyzes how language is used to perform functions and to create meaning in context" (Denham and Lobeck, 2005)
"70-80% of what is said is not spoken directly" (Cultural and Linguistic Challenges for English Learners, Available through EDIC 5423 English Linguistics online course)
Successful conversation occurs only when speakers adhere to the Cooperative Principle. This principle (based on the work of H.P. Grace) states that all participants in a conversation must state only what is required, what is true, what is relevant, and what is clear. (Curzan and Adams, 2012)
People in linguistic communities adhere to politeness strategies in order to establish, maintain, and renegotiate relationships between speakers (Denham and Lobeck, 2005).
Collectivist societies are more concerned with maintaining one's proper position within the group, whereas individualistic societies care more about defending one's own hierarchical place in relationship to others.
"Pragmatics analyzes how language is used to perform functions and to create meaning in context" (Denham and Lobeck, 2005)
"70-80% of what is said is not spoken directly" (Cultural and Linguistic Challenges for English Learners, Available through EDIC 5423 English Linguistics online course)
Successful conversation occurs only when speakers adhere to the Cooperative Principle. This principle (based on the work of H.P. Grace) states that all participants in a conversation must state only what is required, what is true, what is relevant, and what is clear. (Curzan and Adams, 2012)
People in linguistic communities adhere to politeness strategies in order to establish, maintain, and renegotiate relationships between speakers (Denham and Lobeck, 2005).
Collectivist societies are more concerned with maintaining one's proper position within the group, whereas individualistic societies care more about defending one's own hierarchical place in relationship to others.
Terms to know
Utterance: the realization of a unit of speech on a specific occasion in a specific context.
Speech Act Theory: a theory based on the notion that language performs actions. The major implication of speech act theory is that language changes the world around us.
Interlocutor: a person involved in a conversational exchange
Locutionary act: the production of the sounds and words that make up an utterance and its referential meaning
Illocutionary act: the intended meaning of the utterance or the conventional force that an utterance is understood to have
Perlocutionary act: the effect achieved by an utterance on the hearer
Politeness: refers to all the ways in which speakers adapt (or don't adapt) to the needs and wants of other interlocutors.
Face: the positive public image that people try to portray to others
Speech Act Theory: a theory based on the notion that language performs actions. The major implication of speech act theory is that language changes the world around us.
Interlocutor: a person involved in a conversational exchange
Locutionary act: the production of the sounds and words that make up an utterance and its referential meaning
Illocutionary act: the intended meaning of the utterance or the conventional force that an utterance is understood to have
Perlocutionary act: the effect achieved by an utterance on the hearer
Politeness: refers to all the ways in which speakers adapt (or don't adapt) to the needs and wants of other interlocutors.
Face: the positive public image that people try to portray to others
Implications for teachers of ELLs
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