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Semantics and Pragmatics Sesh 1

The document discusses the distinction between hard linguistics, which focuses on language as a self-contained entity, and pragmatics, which emphasizes the importance of context in language analysis. It highlights the concept of 'face' in communication, the dynamics of power in interactions, and the significance of face-threatening acts. Additionally, it touches on semantics as a context-bound discipline that examines word meaning and its relationship to context.

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24 views3 pages

Semantics and Pragmatics Sesh 1

The document discusses the distinction between hard linguistics, which focuses on language as a self-contained entity, and pragmatics, which emphasizes the importance of context in language analysis. It highlights the concept of 'face' in communication, the dynamics of power in interactions, and the significance of face-threatening acts. Additionally, it touches on semantics as a context-bound discipline that examines word meaning and its relationship to context.

Uploaded by

meryaab62
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SEMANTICS AND PRAGMA TICS

DR. SLIMANI NAJIB

NOTES BY: SOUMIA

The First Session

- In hard linguistics, we focus on language. The analysis is language per se.


It means that the focus is on language as a self-contained entity, which
means that language does not depend on factors beyond itself. In
morphology, as an example, the analysis is word-based; we focus on word
formation—how words are formed in a given language. In syntax, the
focus is on sentence formation. Language is considered autonomous data.
- They are called hard linguistics because they are based on data and
language-focused.
- Analyzing language as a self-contained entity may not serve some academic
goals. There are contexts in which we need to go beyond language. We need
to take into account elements and features that are not contained within the
word or sentence but extend beyond a sentence. This element is called
context.
- Context-bound analysis. In pragmatics, we are opting for a discipline
that prioritizes going beyond language.
- The context in pragmatics is our ability to understand what happens around
language—who says what to whom? How? Why?
- "Pragmatics is the wastebasket of linguistics." This means that
pragmatics has taken some aspects, features, and phenomena of language
from the wastebasket of linguistics. When analyzing language at the level of
morphology, phonology, phonetics, and syntax, we put context in the
wastebasket. So, pragmatics retrieves context from the wastebasket.
- Pragmatics is based on a very important assumption: language in everyday
life communication is worth investigating.
- What do researchers in pragmatics do?
- Answer: They analyze language in everyday life communication and go
beyond language.
- When we say, "Who says what to whom? How and why?", We are going
beyond language.
- A crucial and central element in pragmatics is the element of face—not the
physical face, but a social image: "how you perceive yourself and how you
are supposed to be perceived and treated in various communicative
situations with others."
- If you use jargon or a way of addressing people that does not take into
account their face, you may get reactions like, "Don’t you know to whom
you are talking?"—this means that you have to watch your tongue.
- Our face is threatened on a daily basis.
- Example: If someone you know passes by without saying hi, just looking at
you and ignoring you, you will feel that your face is threatened. This
person did not give due consideration to your face.
- We call this FTAs → Face-Threatening Acts.
- What is face-threatening for me may not necessarily be face-
threatening for someone with the same power status and value system.
- Relationships are power-restricted (symbolic power):

 A professor has academic power.


 A judge has legal power.
 A social servant has social power.
 Parents have parental power.
 Each one of us has a certain power, and we interact with others based on
this notion.

- Power dynamics:

 When we are in the same position → P+ = P+ (P+ = Power Plus)


 When we are not in the same position → P+ vs. P- (P- = Power Minus)

- Some people have high imposition; some have low imposition.


- Face can be:

 Threatened
 Saved (FSAs - Face-Saving Acts)
 Maintained (self-maintenance)

- "Baghi ti9ar" means: "I don’t want to be in situations where my face is


threatened. I want peace."
- There are different parameters related to face, and this is our central
point of departure.
- Our analysis in pragmatics will be data-based.

 The first conversational analysis we will conduct will be last year’s


exam in pragmatics.
 Our professor will provide us with data and show us how to conduct a
pragmatic analysis.
 He will give us a sample, show us how to do things, and let us be
ourselves.

- Semantics is a context-bound discipline.


- In semantics, we speak about word meaning and its relationship to
context. We discuss different semantic features like polysemy and
homonymy.
- We have to understand all features to know which is which, as they are
going to be our tool of analysis; otherwise, we will not be able to conduct a
semantic analysis.
- Once we understand the features, we will start task-based learning.

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