Pragmatics

Essay 2: Pragmatics

Michelle Pedersen

Grammar and perspective 1

Dr. Lise-Lotte Hjulmand

April 2017

Successful communication is not possible without reading or listening between the lines. Speakers rarely provide full description of what they are saying, therefore, listeners should fill in the blanks. In most cases the intended message does not match the literal meaning of the words uttered. What are the rules governing how language is interpreted?

        A major topic of pragmatics is presupposition, which is an assumption in a sentence that does not need to be explicitly stated. The meaning of the sentence is implied because the background information is already known or given by certain words or sentence structures. For example, “aren’t you going to introduce yourself to me, Raymond?” presupposes that Raymond introduces himself to Neville but instead Raymond answers “you already know who I am!” Context often determines the meaning of otherwise identical sentences. For example, in two situations, the sentence “what do you mean?” expresses either a genuine question, or an exclamation that requires a response.

        Paul Grice made the cooperation principle which can be summed up via four maxims: quality, quantity, manner and relevance. These four maxims serve as guideline in any normal interaction and their application ensures that the speaker conveys a message that the listener can interpret. First, the maxim of quantity claim that a person’s contribution should not be less or more informative than appropriate for the situation. For example, “and what’s your name?” here Raymond is expected to give a detailed answer about who he is. Second, the maxim of quantity would require short and simple yet informative answers, so it does not seem dismissive. The maxim of quality states that the speaker must tell the truth. Third, the maxim of relation declare that whatever is said must be relevant. For example, “because the telly is not boring” this is not considered cooperative because it is not related the given topic. Finally, the maxim of manner requires that our contribution is orderly and not obscure or ambiguous. For example, “shall we introduce ourselves…” Raymond in this case just response by looking at Neville instead of answering the question.