Pragmatics And Halliday
PRAGMATICS
What is the underlying message?
SPEECH ACT THEORY
Context: A married couple are at home. The phone rings... The wife calls out….
Perlocution
Locution
Illocution
(literal sense)
(implied meaning)
(perceived meaning) ‘I’m in the bath.’ You get the phone. I’ll have to get the phone. PRAGMATIC DEVELOPMENT
3
Copyright © 2009 www.englishteaching.co.uk + www.english-teaching.co.uk
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY
PRAGMATICS?
Pragmatics is an area of language study linked to the things people mean rather than what they actually say.
Pragmatics refers to:
implicature expressing meaning indirectly inference what someone thinks you are saying humour
4
politeness
Copyright © 2009 www.englishteaching.co.uk + www.english-teaching.co.uk
HOW CAN PRAGMATICS BE DIFFICULT?
Why would these statements be difficult for a child?
A woman asks where the post office is and is told in reply, “It’s a Sunday.”
A student says to her friend: “Mmmm, nice jacket.
Are there lots of charity shops in Peckham?”
A father says to his daughter, who has just dropped his mobile phone in the paddling pool, “Thanks very much, that makes life a lot easier.”
5
Copyright © 2009 www.englishteaching.co.uk + www.english-teaching.co.uk
THE FUNCTIONS OF CHILDREN’S
EARLY LANGUAGE
The linguist Michael Halliday broke down children’s early language functions into what he termed a ‘taxonomy language’
Instrumental expresses needs (e.g. ‘Want juice’)
Regulatory used to tell others what to do (e.g. ‘Go away’)
Interactional used to make contact with others and form relationships (e.g. ‘Love you, mummy’)
Personal used to express feelings, opinions and individual identity (e.g. ‘Me good girl’)
Heuristic Language used to gain knowledge about the environment (i.e. ‘What the tractor doing?’)
Imaginative Here language is used to tell stories and jokes, and to create an imaginary environment.
Representational Use of language to convey facts and information 6
What is the underlying message?
SPEECH ACT THEORY
Context: A married couple are at home. The phone rings... The wife calls out….
Perlocution
Locution
Illocution
(literal sense)
(implied meaning)
(perceived meaning) ‘I’m in the bath.’ You get the phone. I’ll have to get the phone. PRAGMATIC DEVELOPMENT
3
Copyright © 2009 www.englishteaching.co.uk + www.english-teaching.co.uk
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY
PRAGMATICS?
Pragmatics is an area of language study linked to the things people mean rather than what they actually say.
Pragmatics refers to:
implicature expressing meaning indirectly inference what someone thinks you are saying humour
4
politeness
Copyright © 2009 www.englishteaching.co.uk + www.english-teaching.co.uk
HOW CAN PRAGMATICS BE DIFFICULT?
Why would these statements be difficult for a child?
A woman asks where the post office is and is told in reply, “It’s a Sunday.”
A student says to her friend: “Mmmm, nice jacket.
Are there lots of charity shops in Peckham?”
A father says to his daughter, who has just dropped his mobile phone in the paddling pool, “Thanks very much, that makes life a lot easier.”
5
Copyright © 2009 www.englishteaching.co.uk + www.english-teaching.co.uk
THE FUNCTIONS OF CHILDREN’S
EARLY LANGUAGE
The linguist Michael Halliday broke down children’s early language functions into what he termed a ‘taxonomy language’
Instrumental expresses needs (e.g. ‘Want juice’)
Regulatory used to tell others what to do (e.g. ‘Go away’)
Interactional used to make contact with others and form relationships (e.g. ‘Love you, mummy’)
Personal used to express feelings, opinions and individual identity (e.g. ‘Me good girl’)
Heuristic Language used to gain knowledge about the environment (i.e. ‘What the tractor doing?’)
Imaginative Here language is used to tell stories and jokes, and to create an imaginary environment.
Representational Use of language to convey facts and information 6