Context-英语语用学

ContactmeYanlingTang•ForeignStudiesCollege•HunanNormalUniversity•36LushanRoad,•ChangshaCity,Hunan410081•ThePeople’sRepublicofChina(CHINA)•Cellphone:13347319966•E-mail:[e-mail]•AnIntroductiontoPragmatics•ACourseforB.A.Students•Instructor:Prof.TangYanling唐燕玲ContextOutline3.Theoriesofcontext1.Warmingup4.Theroleofcontext2.AgeneraldescriptionofContext5.ConclusionPart1:WarmingupCanyouexplainthemeaningofthewordsinitalicsineachofthesentencesbelow?Explainwhyandthenmakesomealterationsinthecontextsoastopindownthemeaning.a.Thepolicewereorderedtostopdrinkingaboutmidnight.stoppeopledrinking/stopdrinkingbythemselvesb.Therestoodabigstonehouseatthefootofthehill.astonehousewhichisbig/ahousebuiltofbigstonesc.IhavelostBetty’spicture.apicturepossessedbyBetty/aphotographofBettyd.Visitingauntscanbeboring.auntswhoarevisiting/payingavisittoauntse.Mr.Webster,theamiablepriest,isgoingtomarryJaneatthechurch.takeJaneashiswife/presideoverJane’sweddingPart2:AgeneraldescriptionofcontextWhenwethinkaboutmeaning,itisalsoimportanttotakeintoaccountthecontributionofcontext.Insimpleterms,then,wecanthinkaboutpragmaticsasthestudyofthecontributionofcontexttomeaning.•Herearefoursub-areasinvolvedinfleshingout(完善）whatwemeanbycontext.•physicalcontextEpistemic（关于认知的）contextlinguisticcontextsocialcontextPhysicalcontext:wecanthinkofthisintermsofwheretheconversationistakingplace,whatobjectsarepresent,whatactionsareoccurring,andsoforth.Epistemiccontext:theepistemiccontextreferstowhatspeakersknowabouttheworld.Forexample,whatbackgroundknowledgesharedbythespeakersiscruciallypartofourepistemicknowledgewhenwehaveaconversationwithsomeoneelse.Linguisticcontext:thelinguisticcontextreferstowhathasbeensaidalreadyintheutterance.Forexample,ifIbeginadiscussionbyreferringtoJaneSmithandinthenextsentencerefertoherasbeingatopnotchathlete,thelinguisticcontextletsmeknowthattheantecedentofher(thepersonherrefersto)isJaneSmith.Socialcontext:thesocialcontextreferstothesocialrelationshipamongspeakersandhearers.Example:ThinkaboutthediscussionofthelibrarysceneinLanguageFiles.Twopeoplecomeintoalibraryandtheyaretalkingreallyloud.Theysitatyourtableandcontinuetheirbabbling.So,youlookupatthemandsay:Excuseme,couldyoupleasespeakupabitmore?Imissedwhatyousaid.Whatdoweknowpragmaticallyaboutyourutterance?Whatcontributestoourunderstandingofwhyitsliteralmeaning(i.e.pleasespeakup)departssomuchfromwhatitsintendedmeaningis(i.e.shutup!)?Considersomeofthecontextualpropertiesoftheutterance.physical:theconversationoccursinalibrary•epistemic:•librariesarequietplaces•linguistic:•sarcastictoneofvoice(intonationcuesarelinguistic)•socialcontext:•youhavetherighttoasksomeonetobequietinaplacewherepeoplearesupposedtobequiet,especiallyiftheirrule-breakingisinjurioustotheneedsofothers,whichoverridesthesocialnormofnotgivingorderstototalstrangers.Part3:Ageneraldescriptionofcontext3.1BronislawKasparMalinowski'sTheorycontextcontextofculture文化语境contextofsituation情景语境•语境的概念是由英国的波兰裔人类学家、功能学派的创始人之一马林诺夫斯基(Malinowski,1884-1942)首先提出的,他把语境分为两类:即情景语境和文化语境。•contextofsituation:情景语境是指语篇产生的环境；或指言语行为发生时的具体情境。•contextofculture:文化语境是指某种语言赖以植根的民族里人们思想和行为准则的总和。或指说话人生活于其中的社会文化背景。3.2JohnRupertFirth'stheoryFirth(1957)definedcontextofsituationastheentireculturalsettingofspeechandthepersonalhistoryoftheparticipantsratherthanassimplythecontextofhumanactivitygoingonatthemoment.Hisnotionofcontextincluded“notonlyspokenwords,butfacialexpression,gestures,bodilyactivities,thewholegroupofpeoplepresentduringanexchangeofutterances,andthepartoftheenvironmentinwhichthesepeopleareengaged”.Firthdidn’tgiveaclassificationtothenotionofcontext.ButhefurtherdevelopedMalinnowski’s“contextofsituation”.Thereforehecategorizedcontextofsituationas:1)Theparticipantsinthesituation:whatFirthreferredtoaspersonsandpersonalities,correspondingmoreorlesstowhatsociologistswouldregardasthestatusandrolesoftheparticipants;2)Theactionofparticipants:whattheyaredoing,includingboththeirverbalactionandtheirnon-verbalaction.3)Otherrelevantfeaturesofthesituation:therelevantobjectsandnon-verbalandnon-personalevents.4)Theeffectsoftheverbalaction:whatchangeswerebroughtaboutbywhattheparticipantsinthesituationhadtosay.3.3M.A.K.Halliday’stheoryJustasMalinowskihadinfluencedFirth,thelatter,inreturn,hadgreatimpactonanotherfamouslinguist,M.A.K.Halliday(Halliday,1985)deepenedFirth’scontextofsituationintoaspecificanddetailedoneinutteranceandtextinterpretation.Inhisregistertheoryhedescribedcontextasfieldofdiscourse,tenorofdiscourse,andmodeofdiscourse.•Thethreefeaturesofcontextofsituation:registervariables语域变体field语场tenor语旨mode语式•Thefieldofdiscoursereferstowhatishappening,tothenatureofthesocialactionthatistakingplace.语场指的是正在发生什么事,所进行的社会活动的性质、特点、语言所谈及或描述的是什么。•Thetenorofdiscoursereferstowhoistakingpartin,tothenatureofparticipants,theirstatusandroles.语旨指的是谁是交际者,他们的基本情况、特点、地位、角色、关系等。•Themodeofdiscoursereferstowhatpartthelanguageisplaying,whatitisthattheparticipantsexpectthelanguagetodofortheminthesituation.语式指的是语言在交际中所起的作用,包括交际渠道和修饰方式。Hallidayclaimsthatfield,tenor,andmodeofdiscoursearethethree