Chapter6Pragmatics-ExercisesChapter 6 PragmaticsI. Fill in each of the following blanks with one word which begins with the lettergiven.1. Pragmatics is the study of speakers’ intended m____, that is, how hearers recognizewhat is meant even when it isn’t actually said or written.2. Discourse d____ covers all expressions used to refer to earlier or forthcomingsegments of the discourse, such as in the previous/next chapter.3. Do not say what you believe to be false—this is the maxim of q____ that speakersare supposed to follow but also able to flout.4. Actions performed via utterances are generally called speech acts, and the verbsused to perform actions are called p________ verbs.5. Which type of speech act is actually intended by the speaker can be identified byspecifying f______ conditions—circumstances under which it sounds appropriate. II. Decide whether each of the following statements is True or False.1. Pragmatics is by and large complementary with semantics.2. One performative verb may be performing the type of act suggested by anotherperformative verb.3. All words can be used to convey conversational implicatures.4. Whenever one fails to fulfill a conversational maxim, one fails to observe theCooperative Principle altogether.5. The more indirect the utterance is to express the speaker’s intention, the greaterpoliteness the speaker shows to the hearer.III. Define the following terms.1. pragmatics2. deixis3. reference4. anaphora5. presupposition6. speech act theory7. indirect speech act8. cooperative principle9. conversational implicature10. politeness principleIV. Answer the following questions.1.In conversation, speakers may mean exactly what they say and no more. Or theycan mean more than what they say, or at an extreme, opposite to what they say.Use examples to illustrate each case. Do you think there are other possibilities?2.Context is one of the most important factors when we conduct pragmatic analysis.Without the knowledge of the context involved, comprehension is often impossible. Look at the following pictures accompanying a campus news report (here an excerpt) “a particular Chinese character was ‘written’,节(‘jie’; to save), … by 42 light-on and light-off dormitory rooms”. At the end of the report, there is a line “Use energy-saving lamps”. Which category of speech acts (according to Searle’s classification) does this utterance belong to? What are the contextual elements helping you reach the judgement?3. Language used in public places is generally meant to do things. Look at the following wbsite headers. What are the locutionary act, illocutionary act, and perlocutionary act respectively in each case?(1)(2)4. How would you describe this short exchange in terms of the Cooperative Principle?Carol: Are you coming to the party tonight?Lara: I’ve got an exam tomorrow.5. Which maxim of the Politeness Principle does this speaker seem to be particularlycareful about:Well, to be quite honest, I don’t think she is ill today.Suggested answersI.1. meaning2. deixis3. quality4. performative5. felicityII.1. T2. T3. T4. F5. FIII.1. pragmatics: a branch of linguistics studying language in use2. deixis: a particular way in which the interpretation of certain linguistic expressionsis dependent on the context they are produced or interpreted3. reference: the act by which a speaker or writer uses language to enable a hearer orreader to identify something4. anaphora: the process where a word or phrase refers back to another word or phrasewhich was used earlier in a text or conversation5. presupposition: an unstated assumption underlying an utterance in a given contextand being held true of the conventional background by the speaker6. speech act theory: a theory proposed by J. L. Austin and has been developed by J. R.Searle, asserting that language is not only used to inform or to describe things, it is often used to “do things”, to perform acts 7. indirect speech act: an act performing the communicative functions that are usuallyassociated with another structural form8. cooperative principle: the mechanisms formulated by H.P. Grice to explain whatassumptions are guiding the conduct of conversation9. politeness principle: the principle put forth by Leech to rescue the CP in the sensethat politeness as a strategy can account for why people are often so indirect in conveying what they mean10. conversational implicature: a kind of extra meaning that is not literally containedin the utterance but is derived from observing or flouting the maxims of CPIV.。
