Key Concepts in Pragmatics: Meaning, Context, and Speech Acts

Pragmatics: The Study of Meaning and Language Use

Pragmatics is the study of the aspects of meaning and language use that are dependent on the speaker, the addressee, and other features of the context of utterance.

Context in Pragmatics

Linguistic Context

Linguistic context is the set of other words used in the same phrase or sentence to give an appropriate meaning.

Physical Context

Physical context refers to the setting of the conversation, including where it is taking place, what objects are present, what actions are occurring, and so forth.

Deixis

Deixis refers to words and phrases that cannot be fully understood without additional contextual information. Examples include:

• Person deixis (e.g., pronouns)
• Spatial deixis (e.g., here, there, near)
• Temporal deixis (e.g., now, then, last week)

Reference

Reference is an act by which a speaker uses language to enable a listener to identify something.

Inference

Inference is additional information used by the listener to create a connection between what is said and what must be meant. For example: "Picasso is in the museum" (implying a work by Picasso).

Anaphora and Antecedent

Anaphora is a subsequent reference to an already introduced entity. The first mention is named the antecedent. For example: "A puppy is beautiful" (antecedent). Subsequent references could be "the puppy," "the little dog," or "it is beautiful."

Presupposition

Presupposition is what a speaker assumes is true or known by a listener. Example: If someone says, "Your brother is waiting," the presupposition is that you have a brother.

Speech Acts

A speech act is the action performed by a speaker with an utterance. These are actions we perform through language, such as:

• Requesting
• Commanding
• Questioning
• Informing

Direct Speech Acts

A direct speech act occurs when the linguistic form directly matches the intended function (e.g., using an interrogative sentence to ask a question, or a declarative sentence to inform).

Indirect Speech Acts

An indirect speech act occurs when the form of the utterance does not directly match its function (e.g., using a question to make a request, like "Can you pass the salt?").

Face and Politeness Theory

Face

Face is defined as your public self-image.

Politeness

Politeness is showing awareness and consideration of another person’s face. The appropriate use of politeness is often culturally dependent and varies significantly from one culture to the next.

Face-Threatening Act (FTA)

A face-threatening act (FTA) occurs when you say something that represents a threat to another person’s self-image. For instance, saying "Give me that paper!" is appropriate if the speaker holds social power (like a military officer or prison warden). Otherwise, it is generally seen as an FTA.

Negative Face

Negative face is the need to be independent and free from imposition. Example: "I know you’re busy, but..."

Positive Face

Positive face is the need to be connected, to belong, and to be a member of a group. It involves showing solidarity and drawing attention to a common goal. Example: "Let’s do this together; you and I have the same problem, so..."