ELL How to do things with English?

Language and Linguistics 24

Pragmatics

The study of contextual meaning and how more gets communicated than is said.

Contextual meaning

Meaning derived from the situational context and previous discourse.

Linguistic context

What has been previously spoken or written.

Situational context

Knowledge of the world that influences the interpretation of language.

Pronouns

Lexical items that derive meaning from their antecedents in a sentence.

Antecedent

Any noun phrase that a pronoun depends on for its meaning.

Deixis

Reference of certain words that relies on the situational context of the utterance.

Time deixis

Words or expressions that refer to time relative to the moment of speaking.

Place deixis

Words or expressions that refer to location relative to the speaker's position.

Conversational maxims

Principles that guide effective communication: quantity of information, quality of information, relation, and manner.

Positive face

The desire to be liked and approved of by others.

Negative face

The desire to be respected and not imposed upon by others.

Performative verbs

Verbs that accomplish an action by being spoken, such as promise or warn.

Illocutionary force

The intended effect or purpose behind a sentence.

Perlocutionary effect

The actual effect an utterance has on a listener.

Direct request

A straightforward command or request without hedging.

Indirect request

A request that is made in a more subtle or polite manner.

Imposition minimizer

A phrase used to soften the request and acknowledge the listener's situation.

Speech acts

Actions performed via utterances that convey intention beyond mere words.

Telegraphic discourse

Communication that omits elements like verbs and objects, relying on context for understanding.