Pragmatics -lecture-5

Pragmatics——LanguageinUseTeachingObjectives:Thepurposeofstudyingthissubjectaimsat*encouragingthestudentstolookatdifferentlevelsofmeaningwithinsentences;*Providingbasicunderstandingofsomekeypragmaticconcepts;*introducingtwohighlyinfluentialapproaches:co-operativeprincipleandspeechacttheory;*encouragingthestudentstoapplysomebasicanalyticaltoolstorealdata*Providingarangeofactivitiesandsomefurtherrelatedreadings.Pragmatics——LanguageinUseTeachingMaterialsasawholecourse:1.Whatispragmatics?2.Entailment&Presupposition3.CP&Conversationalimplicature4.Speechacts5.Politeness6.Makingsense7.Post-Griceandevelopment8.Exploringpragmatics:projectsPragmatics——LanguageinUseTeachingMaterialsoflecture5:Speechacttheory1.Performativesandconstatives*Performatives*Constatives*FelicityConditions2.ATheoryoftheillocutionaryact*Locutionaryact*Illocutionaryact*Perlocutionaryact*FelicityConditionsTheoriginationofthetheorySpeechacttheoryisthefirstmajortheoryinthepragmaticstudyoflanguage.ItwasoriginatedwiththeBritishphilosopherJohnL.Austininthelate50’softhe20thcentury.BeinganOxfordphilosopher,Austinbegantogivelecturesonthistheoryin1952.TheoriginationofthetheoryWhenhelecturedinAmericaattheWilliamJamesin1955,herevisedthenotesandchangedthetitlefromWordsandDeedstoHowtoDoThingswithWords.Actuallyitisaphilosophicalexplanationofthenatureoflinguisticcommunication.Itaimedtoanswerthequestion“Whatdowedowhenusinglanguage?”PerformativesandConstativesTraditionallyphilosophershadbeeninterestedinthetruth-valueofsentences,i.e.,howtojudgewhetherasentenceistrueorfalse;theybelievedthatastatementwasusedeithertostateafactortodescribeastateofaffairs.PerformativesandConstativesAlthoughaphilosopherhimself,Austinexpresseddoubtaboutthisassumptionbecausehefoundsomestatementswerenotusedtostateortodescribe,theycouldnotbejudgedastrueorfalse;rathertheywereusedbythespeakertodosomething.ThushemadeadistinctionbetweenwhathecalledPerformativesandConstativesPerformativesandConstativesPerformativesrefertosentencesthatdonotstateafactordescribeastate,andarenotverifiable.HerearethefourclassicalexamplesusedbyAustintoillustratehispoint:“Ido.”“InamethisshipElizabeth.”“Igiveandbequeathmywatchtomybrother.”“Ibetyousixpenceitwillraintomorrow.”PerformativesandConstatives“Ido”isutteredinresponsetothepriest’squestioninthecourseofamarriageceremony:“Doyoutakethisman/womantobeyourlawfulweddedhusband/wife?”Themomentthepersonsays“Ido”,he/shegetsmarried.SoAustinconcludestheutterance“Ido”isusedtoperformtheactofgettingmarried.PerformativesandConstatives.Whenapersonwhoisauthorizedtonameaship,asisrequiredbytheconvention,andsays“InamethisshipElizabeth”,thisshipisthusgotthisname.so“InamethisshipElizabeth”isusedtoperformtheactofnaming.PerformativesandConstatives.Similarly,theutterance“Igiveandbequeathmywatchtomybrother”,occurringinawill,isusedtoperformtheactofbequeathing.Andit’sthesamecasewith“Ibetyou…”,thespeakerisdoingnothingelsebutbetting.ConstativesandPerformatives.Soinsteadofstatingsomething,thespeaker,whenutteringthesewordsequences,isactuallydoingsomething,i.e.performingcertainacts.ThefourexamplesAustincitedareallconventionalizedcases.Buttheideaofdoingsomethingwhilespeakingcancertainlybebroadenedtoincludeallthenon-conventionalactssuchasstating,promising,requesting,andsuggesting.HencetheSpeechActTheorycameintobeing,accordingtowhichweareperformingactionswhenwearespeaking.PerformativesandConstatives.Incontrast,Constativesrefertostatementsthatdescribe,andarethusverifiable.e.g.Ipoursomeliquidintothetube.Itissupposedtobesaidbyachemistryteacherinademonstrationofanexperiment.Actuallytheteacherisdescribingofwhathe/sheisdoingatthetimeofspeaking.Theteachercannotpouranyliquidintoatubebysimplyutteringthesewords.Hemustaccompanyhiswordswiththeactualpouring.Otherwise,heismakingafalsestatement.FelicityConditionsThoughperformativescannotbetrueorfalse,therearestillconditionsforthemtomeettobeappropriateorfelicitous.AustinputforwardthefollowingsimplifiedversionofFelicityConditions:FelicityConditionsA.i)Theremustbearelevantconventionalprocedure,andii)therelevantparticipantsandcircumstancesmustbeappropriate.B.Theproceduremustbeexecutedi)correctlyandii)completely.C.Veryoften,i)therelevantpeoplemusthavetherequisitethoughts,feelingsandintentions,andii)mustfollowitupwithactionsasspecified.FelicityConditions(P.173)Thus,inthecaseofaship-launchingceremony,onlythepersonappointedhastherighttonametheship,andthispersonmustsaytherelevantwordsinaccordancewiththeprocedure;thepersonwhobequeathshiswatchmusthaveawatch;thepersonwhobetsitwillrainthenextdaymustgivetheotherparticipantsixpenceifitturnsouttobeafineday.(Question:Thenhowaboutthepersonwhosays“Ido”intheaboveexample?)Problems:VerysoonafterAustinputforthhisthreepointsoffelicitycondition,herealizedthattheseconditionsonlyapplytosomecases.Thereareothercasesinwhichonedoesnotneedaconventionalproceduretoproduceaperformative.Tomakeapromise,forexample,onecaneithersay“Ipromise”or“Igivemywordforit”.Thereisnostrictprocedurefordoingit.Ontheotherhand,theco-calledconstativemayalsobeinfelicitousint