2024/2 PBI Introduction to Linguistics

Pragmatics is the study of how context influences the meaning of an utterance. It focuses on aspects of meaning that are not captured by logical form but are critical to understanding language in use. In the semiotic trichotomy developed by philosophers like Morris, Carnap, and Peirce in the 1930s, the relationship of signs to meaning is divided into three areas:

Key Components:

1. Syntax: The formal relationships between signs (e.g., how words and sentences are structured).

2. Semantics: The relationship between signs and what they denote (the literal meaning of words or phrases).

3. Pragmatics: The relationship between signs and their users, considering the context of communication.

Central Ideas in Pragmatics:

• Context-Dependent Meaning: Unlike syntax and semantics, which focus on abstract and formal relationships, pragmatics is concerned with how meaning changes depending on the context of the speaker, the listener, the time, the place, and other situational factors.

• Sperber & Wilson’s View (1986): Sperber and Wilson argue that pragmatics is not a modular system, like grammar, because it involves the use of global knowledge and requires interpretations that depend on broader contextual information. In this sense, pragmatics is a horizontal process—its predictions are indeterminate and flexible, based on the ever-changing nature of communication.

• Speaker/Hearer Competence: Some theories have proposed a specialized "pragmatics module" within the theory of speaker and hearer competence (i.e., how individuals understand and use language), but the flexibility and variability in meaning make this a challenging notion to formalize in a modular way.

Pragmatics in Action:

Pragmatics helps us understand how sentences can express different propositions depending on the context of their utterance. According to philosopher Robert Stalnaker (1972), the meaning of a sentence can be seen as a function from a context (which includes time, place, and possible worlds) to a proposition, which in turn results in a truth value. This view highlights the dynamic interaction between language and context.

Areas of Pragmatics:

• Deixis and Indexicality: These are expressions whose meanings remain constant, but their referents vary depending on the context of use. Examples include:

  • Pronouns like I, you

  • Adverbs of place and time like here, there, now, then

  • Tense and aspect markers, which shift based on when an action happens

  • Speech act markers, like hereby, which change based on the purpose of the speech act

  Deictic expressions are an essential part of pragmatics, as they anchor meaning to specific contexts. For instance, when someone says "I will meet you here at 3 PM," the interpretation of "I," "you," and "here" relies on understanding the speaker's identity, the listener's identity, and the location and time of utterance.