Pragmatics, Speech Acts, Cooperative Principle & Politeness – Core Vocabulary

This set compiles foundational vocabulary from lecture notes on pragmatics, conversation analysis, speech-act theory, Gricean maxims, and politeness strategies. Mastery of these terms will aid in analysing how context, cooperation, and face management shape everyday communication.

Pragmatics

The study of language use in context and how meaning is negotiated between speakers and listeners.

Utterance

A speech event produced by a particular speaker in a specific context; the realized use of a sentence.

Sentence

A well-formed string of words as a linguistic expression, independent of context.

Pragmatic Competence

Knowledge of how to use language appropriately in sociocultural contexts.

Situational Context

Immediate physical co-presence where an interaction occurs, often signalled by deictics and gestures.

Cultural Background Knowledge

Shared cultural information assumed by members of a community.

Interpersonal Background Knowledge

Private, experience-based knowledge shared by specific interlocutors.

Co-textual Context

Information derived from the preceding parts of the ongoing discourse.

Conversation Analysis (CA)

Method for studying talk-in-interaction as a linear, negotiated social event.

Turn-Taking

System by which participants manage whose turn it is to speak in conversation.

Transition Relevance Place (TRP)

Point where a turn is projectably complete and another speaker may enter.

Referring Expression

Linguistic form used to identify entities, often employing deixis.

Deixis

Context-dependent reference such as person, place, or time pronouns/adverbs.

Person Deixis

Reference to participants (I, you, they, etc.).

Spatial Deixis

Reference to location (this, that, here, there).

Time Deixis

Reference to temporal points (now, then, tomorrow).

Interruption

Entry into another’s turn without recognising a TRP.

Overlap

Simultaneous speech when a hearer anticipates turn completion.

Attributable Silence

Meaningful pause indicated by timed brackets in transcripts.

Adjacency Pair

Two-part conversational unit where the first utterance makes a certain response likely.

Preference Structure

Tendency for certain second parts of adjacency pairs (e.g., acceptance) to be socially preferred.

Pre-sequence

Utterance that prepares the ground for an expected sequence (e.g., pre-invitation).

Insertion Sequence

Adjacency pair embedded within another adjacency pair.

Opening Sequence

Routine conversational beginning involving greeting, health enquiry, etc.

Closing Sequence

Ritualised conversational ending often including future contact wishes.

Speech Act

Action performed by saying something (Austin 1962).

Locutionary Act

The act of producing the linguistic utterance itself.

Illocutionary Force

Function or intended action performed by the utterance (e.g., requesting).

Perlocutionary Effect

Effect the utterance has on the hearer (e.g., persuading).

Declarations

Speech acts that change reality by being uttered (e.g., ‘I pronounce you married’).

Representatives

Acts expressing speaker’s belief about truth (stating, claiming, predicting).

Commissives

Acts committing speaker to future action (promising, vowing).

Directives

Acts aimed at getting hearer to do something (ordering, requesting).

Expressives

Acts expressing speaker’s feelings or attitudes (apologising, thanking).

Felicity Conditions

Contextual requirements for a speech act to be appropriate and successful.

Direct Speech Act

Utterance whose form matches its function (e.g., imperative request).

Indirect Speech Act

Utterance whose literal form differs from intended function (e.g., ‘Can you pass the salt?’).

Cooperative Principle

Grice’s notion that interlocutors cooperate to achieve effective communication.

Maxim of Quantity

Provide as much information as needed, not more or less.

Maxim of Quality

Be truthful; do not say what you believe false or lack evidence for.

Maxim of Relation

Be relevant to the ongoing conversation.

Maxim of Manner

Be clear, brief, and orderly; avoid obscurity.

Conversational Implicature

Implied meaning derived from flouting a maxim while assuming cooperation.

Flouting a Maxim

Apparent breach of a maxim to convey an implicit message understood by the hearer.

Violating a Maxim

Covertly breaking a maxim, misleading the hearer who takes the words literally.

Infringement

Unintentional failure to observe a maxim due to linguistic or cognitive limitations.

Opting Out

Explicit refusal to provide information, thus suspending cooperation (e.g., ‘I can’t say’).

Hyperbole

Flouting Quality through deliberate exaggeration (‘I’m starving’).

Metaphor

Flouting Quality by applying words figuratively (‘He’s a snake’).

Irony

Flouting Quality by saying the opposite of intended meaning for effect.

Sarcasm

Scornful, often hurtful form of irony aimed at the addressee.

Banter

Friendly teasing that flouts Quality to signal closeness.

Vague Language

Imprecise expressions used to withhold detail, often violating Quantity or Manner.

Face (Goffman)

Public self-image that participants protect in interaction.

Positive Face

Desire to be liked, approved, and included.

Negative Face

Desire for autonomy and freedom from imposition.

Politeness

Linguistic strategies for managing rapport and protecting face (Brown & Levinson).

Impoliteness

Language that conflicts with expectations and threatens face (Culpeper).

Face-Threatening Act (FTA)

Utterance or action that endangers someone’s positive or negative face.

Off-Record Strategy

Performing an FTA indirectly so it can be ignored (e.g., hinted requests).

Bald-On-Record

Directly performing an FTA without mitigation.

Negative Politeness

FTA mitigation that attends to hearer’s negative face via hedges, apologies, options.

Positive Politeness

FTA mitigation that attends to hearer’s positive face via solidarity and compliments.

Redressive Action

Behaviour that mitigates the face threat of an act.

Hedge

Linguistic device reducing force or certainty (e.g., ‘kind of’, ‘perhaps’).

Seeking Agreement

Positive-politeness tactic emphasising consensus to minimise disagreement.

Reciprocity

Positive-politeness tactic offering mutual benefit (‘If you… I’ll…’).

Interactional Function

Use of language to build social relations and solidarity.

Transactional Function

Use of language to convey factual information or accomplish tasks.

Phatic Communion

Minimal social talk aimed solely at maintaining contact (‘Nice weather, isn’t it?’).