Pragmatics

How do you use the language in communication and conversation

Pragmatic principles are principles about how language is used

• Principle of conventionality: the meaning of a word is determined by convention

• Principle of contrast: different words have different meanings (different from mutual-exclusivity as dog and animal are valid labels here)

• Linguistic competence: ability to use language in grammatical ways, including in production and comprehension

• Communicative competence: ability to use languages in manners that are appropriate for a given conversation, communicative goal, or social setting.

• Intentionality is actually a bigger question with respect to language acquisition: is the child intending to communicate?

  • Early vegetative noises are not communicative acts, but they can be for adults (e.g., an intentional yawn to express boredom).

• Three phases

  • Perlocutionary Phase (0;0-0;10): what I do/say has an effect on other people
  • Illocutionary Phase (0;10-1;0): I can use what I do/say to communicate with other people
  • Locutionary Phase (1;0+): I can use language (words used referentially and within well-formed sentences) in my communication

• Conversational ability

  • Connected discourse: communication involving multiple sentences or utterances in a longer time period
  • Grice (1957, 1985): two rules to be a good conversationalist
    • Take turns
      • Very young children (preschoolers and young school age) have longer pauses between turns and less overlapping speech than adults have. They are not as good (as adults) at using words like and, and then, or um to indicate they are not finished talking.
    • Be cooperative, optimize for
      • Quantity: Make your contribution as informative as is required; provide neither too much nor too little information
      • Quality: Try to make your contribution one that is true; do not say what you believe to be false or that for which you lack adequate evidence
      • Relation: Be relevant
      • Manner: Be perspicuous (i.e., be clear—brief, orderly, unambiguous)

• Theories about early conversation

  • Piaget: child does not have the skill and will for conversation yet
  • Vygotsky: speech serves a different function for children at early stages