9071.. CHAPTER 6 Bachelor of ENGLISH.ppt

BS ENGLISH

1. CHAPTER 6
Pragmatics
Pragmatics
Course Code 9071
Prepared By: Ziafat Khan
PhD Scholar(Linguistics)
0333-7692792

2. SPEECH CLASSIFICATION AND EVENTS
Speech Acts: These are actions performed through speech,
where saying something is equivalent to doing something.
Example:
Directive: "Please pass the salt." (Asking someone to pass the
salt)
Assertive: "The meeting starts at 10 AM." (Stating a fact)
Expressive: "Congratulations on your promotion!" (Expressing
feelings)
Commissive: "I promise I will be there." (Committing to future
action
Events: These are occurrences or happenings, which can be
described or reported through speech acts.
Example:
Event Description: "There was a car accident at the
intersection."
Event Narration: "John hit the game-winning shot in the last
second of the match."
Event Explanation: "The fire started due to an electrical fault."
In summary, speech acts are the actions performed through
speech (like making a request or stating a fact), while events
are the occurrences or happenings that can be described or
reported using speech acts.

3. Speech acts were given by J.L. Austin, a philosopher of language
known for his work on speech act theory. Austin categorized speech
acts into three main types:
Locutionary Acts:
These are the basic acts of saying something with a certain meaning,
such as making a statement, asking a question, giving an order, etc.
Example: "It's raining."
Illocutionary Acts:
These are acts performed by saying something, where saying it is
doing it (e.g., promising, ordering, apologizing).
Example: "I promise to help you."
Perlocutionary Acts:
These are the effects or consequences that result from saying
something, such as persuading, convincing, surprising, etc.
Example: "She convinced me to change my mind."
These categories help to understand not only what is said (locutionary
act) but also what the speaker intends to achieve or how the listener
interprets it (illocutionary and perlocutionary acts).
SPEECH ACTS

4. An Illocutionary Force Indicating Device (IFID) is a term used in linguistics and
pragmatics to describe linguistic elements that signal the illocutionary force or the
intended communicative function of a speech act. Here’s a breakdown of what it
means and some examples:
Definition:
An Illocutionary Force Indicating Device (IFID) is any linguistic cue or marker within a
sentence or utterance that indicates the speaker’s intention or the type of illocutionary
act being performed.
Examples:
Lexical Markers: Specific words or phrases that directly indicate the illocutionary force.
For example:
Directive: "Please," "Would you mind," "Could you."
Assertive: "I assert that," "I declare that."
Expressive: "Congratulations," "I'm sorry."
Commissive: "I promise that," "I swear that."
Sentence Structure: Certain sentence structures can also indicate the illocutionary
force:
Interrogative Structure: Asking questions generally indicates a request for information
or confirmation.
Imperative Structure: Giving commands or directives.
Declarative Structure: Stating facts or making assertions.
Function:
IFIDs help listeners or readers interpret the speaker’s intended meaning or action
beyond the literal content of the words. They provide context and guide understanding
of how the utterance should be perceived and responded to.
IFID

5. General Conditions
Mutual Understanding: Both must understand each other.
Example: Asking "Do you have the time?"
Sincerity: Speaker must mean what they say. Example: "I
promise to help tomorrow."\
Appropriateness: Speech act fits social norms. Example:
Saying "Thank you" after receiving a gift.
Content Conditions
Assertive: Speaker believes the statement is true. Example:
"It's sunny outside."
Directive: Speaker has the authority to ask. Example: "Please
pass the salt."
Expressive: Speaker genuinely feels the emotion. Example:
"Congratulations on your promotion!"
Commissive: Speaker intends to do the action. Example: "I'll
call you tomorrow."
FELICITY CONDITIONS

6. Preparatory Conditions
Preparatory Knowledge : Both understand the context.
Example: Knowing when to use formal language.
Preparatory Ability: Speaker can physically and mentally
perform the act. Example: Opening a door when asked.
Preparatory Circumstances : Situation is appropriate.
Example: Asking a question when listener can respond.
FELICITY CONDITIONS

7. The performative hypothesis, proposed by J.L. Austin in his
work on speech act theory, suggests that certain utterances
are not just descriptive but are also performative—they do
something in the act of saying them.
Explicit Performatives
Definition: Utterances where the performative nature is
explicitly stated using performative verbs.
Characteristics:
The performative verb directly indicates the speech act being
performed.
Often in the form of a declarative sentence.
Examples:
"I apologize for being late." (Apologizing)
"I promise to return the book tomorrow." (Promising)
"I hereby declare the meeting open." (Declaring)
THE PERFORMATIVE HYPOTHESIS

8. CONTINUE……
Implicit Performatives
Definition: Utterances where the performative nature is implicit and
inferred from context or conventional understanding.
Characteristics:
The speech act is performed indirectly without a performative verb.
Relies on shared knowledge or context to recognize the intention.
Examples:
"Could you pass the salt?" (Requesting)
"Would you like some coffee?" (Offering)
"Let's go for a walk." (Suggesting)

9. CONTINUE
PRIMARY PERFORMATIVES
 Definition: Basic types of speech acts that directly perform an action.
 Characteristics:
 Fundamental speech acts that establish social actions or commitments.
 Often involve explicit performative verbs or clearly understood intentions.
 Examples:
 Assertives: "It's raining." (Stating a fact)
 Directives: "Please close the door." (Giving an order)
 Expressives: "Congratulations on your promotion!" (Expressing feelings)
 Commissives: "I will meet you at 9 AM." (Committing to future action)
 Summary
 Explicit Performatives: Clearly state the performative nature with specific
verbs.
 Implicit Performatives: Imply the performative nature without using explicit
performative verbs.
 Primary Performatives : Fundamental speech acts that directly perform actions
or commitments.
 These categories help understand how language can be used not just to describe
but to actively perform actions and influence social interactions.

10. THANK YOU….
GOOD BYE..