Pragmatics
Objectives of this lesson
a. give learning realization of globalization:
problems andopportunities being faced towards
culture; and
b. define culture by identifying attitudes that hinder
the study
of it.
Language is a city to the building of which
every human being brought
a stone.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Letters and Social Aims, 1876
extra-truth conditional: it comes PRAG
MAT
ICS
about as a result of how a speaker
uses the literal meaning in
conversation, or as a part of a
discourse. The study of extra-truth
conditional meaning is pragmatics.
propositions: they do this mainly
SPEE
in the form of either statements or CH A
CTS
questions, but other grammatical
forms are also possible.
constative utterances: one that can
be experienced or imagined, and in
which such propositions can be said
to be either true or false.
SPEE
ethical propositions: Just like CH A
CTS
an ordinary proposition, an
ethical proposition may be true
or false, although not in the
same sense.
phatic type: for example, ‘Nice
day!,’ ‘How do you do?,’ comments SPEE
CH A
CTS
about the weather, and so on.
According to Malinowski (1923),
these are examples of phatic
communion, a type of speech in
which ties are created by an
exchange of words
Locutions- utterances that we use L
illocu ocutions,
tionar
y
- intent of a locution is called an perloc acts, and
ution
illocutionary act. s
- A speaker can also use different
locutions to achieve the same
illocutionary force.
Perlocutions- Illocutions also often L
cause listeners to do things. To that illocu ocutions,
tionar
y
extent they are perlocutions. perloc acts, and
ution
s
Searle focuses on how listeners
L
respond to utterances, that is, how illocu ocutions,
tionar
y
one person tries to figure out how perloc acts, and
ution
s
another is using a particular
utterance. Is what is heard a
promise, a warning, an assertion, a
request, or something else? What is
the illocutionary force of a
particular utterance?
maxim of quantity requires you to make
your contribution as informative as is
required. Maxi
ms
maxim of quality requires you not to say
what you believe to be false or that for
which you lack adequate evidence.
Relation is the simple injunction: be
relevant.
Manner requires you to avoid obscurity of
expression and ambiguity, and to be brief
and orderly.
Politeness Research on politeness in
conversation has been dominated by the
The C
framework of Politeness Theory (Brown oncep
Coop to
and Levinson 1987). eratio f
n
Face- In social interaction we present a face to
others and to others’ faces. We are obliged to
protect both our own face and the faces of others
to the extent that each time we interact with
others we play out a kind of mini-drama, a kind
of ritual in which each party is required to
recognize the image that the other claims for
himself or herself.
Positive face is the desire to gain the approval Face
of others, ‘the positive consistent self-image or
“personality” .
Negative face is the desire to be unimpeded by
others’ actions, ‘the basic claim to territories,
personal preserves, rights to non-distraction .
face-threatening acts, that is, speech acts which
threaten the positive or negative face of the
addressee.
The C
oncep
Coop to
Positive face looks to solidarity, but also takes status into eratio f
account; negative face also acknowledges status as it takes n
into account the other’s right to be left alone to do as they
choose.
Requests may often show both positive and negative
politeness. For instance, when students contact their professors
asking for their help with a project, they may acknowledge
negative face wants with comments such as ‘I know you are
very busy’ while also acknowledging the professor’s positive
face by saying ‘Since you are an expert in this area, I could
benefit from your advice.’
The C
oncep
Every social encounter requires such face work. While Coop t of
eratio
the usually assumed goal is to maintain as much of each n
individual’s face as is possible, speakers may also make
what are called face-threatening acts, that is, speech
acts which threaten the positive or negative face of the
addressee. Requests are inherently threatening to an
addressee’s negative face, as are insults to positive face;
the study of politeness is how we mitigate such face
threats, or not, in different contexts.
Positive politeness, which serves to construct Polite
and maintain the positive face of addressees, ness
is most obviously created through the use of
compliments, which show appreciation.
Negative politeness, which caters to the
negative face wants of the addressee, is most
typically displayed through apologizing for
any possible imposition.
Defining Culture
Cultu
Culture is an essential part of conflict and re
conflict resolution. Cultures are like
underground rivers that run through our
lives and relationships, giving us messages
that shape our perceptions, attributions,
judgments, and ideas of self and other.
Though cultures are powerful, they are often
unconscious, influencing conflict and
attempts to resolve conflict in imperceptible
ways.
Cultu
Cultures are more than language, dress, and food customs. re
Cultural groups may share race, ethnicity, or nationality,
but they also arise from socioeconomic
class, sexual orientation, ability and disability, political
and religious affiliation, language, and gender
Two things are essential to remember about cultures: they
are always changing, and they relate to the symbolic
dimension of life.
The symbolic dimension is the place where we are
constantly making meaning and enacting our identities.
Cultural messages from the groups we belong to give us information about
what is meaningful or important, and who we are in the world and in relation
to others -- our identities.
Cultural messages, simply, are what everyone in a group knows that outsiders
do not know. They are a series of lenses that shape what we see and don't see,
how we perceive and interpret, and where we draw boundaries.
In shaping our values, cultures contain starting points and currencies.
Starting points are those places it is natural to begin, whether with individual
or group concerns, with the big picture or particularities. Currencies are
those things we care about that influence and shape our interactions with
others.
How Culture Works?
Culture is multi-layered Culture is elastic
-
Culture is largely below the surface,
Culture is constantly in flux influencing identities and
meaning
Cultural influences and
Culture is multi-layered identities become important
depending on context.
How Culture Works?
Culture is multi-layered
-what you see on the surface may mask differences below the
surface. Therefore, cultural generalizations are not the whole
story, and there is no substitute for building relationships and
sharing experiences, coming to know others more deeply over
time.
How Culture Works?
Culture is constantly in flux -- as conditions change,
cultural groups adapt in dynamic and sometimes unpredictable
ways. Therefore, no comprehensive description can ever be
formulated about a particular group. Any attempt to understand a
group must take the dimensions of time, context, and individual
differences into account.
How Culture Works?
Culture is elastic -- knowing the cultural norms of a
given group does not predict the behavior of a member
of that group, who may not conform to norms for
individual or contextual reasons. Therefore, taxonomies
(e.g. "Italians think this way," or "Buddhists prefer that")
have limited use and can lead to error if not checked with
experience.
How Culture Works?
Culture is largely below the surface, influencing identities and
meaning-making, or who we believe ourselves to be and what we
care about -- it is not easy to access these symbolic levels since
they are largely outside our awareness.
Therefore, it is important to use many ways of learning about the
cultural dimensions of those involved in a conflict, especially
indirect ways, including stories, metaphors, and rituals.
How Culture Works?
Cultural influences and identities become important depending on context.
When an aspect of cultural identity is threatened or misunderstood, it may
become relatively more important than other cultural identities and this
fixed, narrow identity may become the focus of stereotyping, negative
projection, and conflict.
This is a very common situation in intractable conflicts. Therefore, it is
useful for people in conflict to have interactive experiences that help them
see each other as broadly as possible, experiences that foster the recognition
of shared identities as well as those that are different.
Cultures are embedded in every
and conflict because conflicts arise
Culture
Conflict
: in human relationships. Cultures
tions
Connec affect the ways we name, frame,
blame, and attempt to tame
conflicts.
Culture and Conflict:
How to Respond
Cultural fluency means familiarity with cultures:
their natures, how they work, and ways they intertwine
with our relationships in times of conflict and harmony.
Cultural fluency means awareness of several
dimensions of culture, including:
• Communication,
• Ways of naming, framing, and taming conflict,
• Approaches to meaning making,
• Identities and roles.
Cultural Constraints
Cultural constraints are of two basic types, direct and
indirect. Naturally, the direct constraints are the more
obvious. For example, if you choose to wear a casual
shorts outfit to a wedding, you will probably be subject to
some ridicule and a certain amount of social isolation. But
if you choose to wear nothing, you may be exposed to a
stronger, more direct cultural constraint—arrest for
indecent exposure.
ATTITUDES THAT
HINDER THE STUDY OF
CULTURES
People who judge other cultures solely in terms of their
own culture are ethnocentric—that is, they hold an
attitude called ethnocentrism. Most North Americans
would think that eating dogs or insects is disgusting, but
most do not feel the same way about eating beef.
Similarly, they would react negatively to child betrothal or
digging up the bones of the dead.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
God blessyou and study well!
