REPORT OVERVIEW
For Komolafe Ilerioluwa
BROAD RESEARCH ON PRAGMATICS.
By Komolafe Ifeoluwa
Introduction
Definition
Pragmatics is the branch of linguistics that studies how language is used in context to
communicate effectively. It examines how speakers convey meaning beyond the literal
interpretation of words, considering factors like intention, inference, and social context.
Key Concepts
1. Implicature: implied meaning beyond literal interpretation (Grice, 1975)
2. Inference: drawing conclusions from context
3. Presupposition: assumptions underlying language
4. Speech Acts: utterances performing actions (Austin, 1962)
5. Pragmatic Inference: deriving meaning from context
6. Contextualization: considering social, cultural, and situational factors
7. Deixis: words referencing context (e.g., "here," "now")
Theories and Models
1. Grice's Cooperative Principle (1975): assumes speakers cooperate to convey meaning
2. Speech Act Theory (Austin, 1962): categorizes utterances into performative, constative,
and declarative acts
3. Relevance Theory (Sperber & Wilson, 1986): emphasizes relevance and inferential
communication.
4. Politeness Theory (Brown & Levinson, 1987): explores linguistic politeness strategies.
Subfields
1. Sociopragmatics: examines language use in social contexts
2. Psychopragmatics: investigates cognitive processes underlying language use
3. Historical Pragmatics: studies language use in historical contexts
4. Cross-Cultural Pragmatics: compares language use across cultures
5. Clinical Pragmatics: addresses language disorders and impairments.
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Key Researchers
1. Paul Grice
2. J.L. Austin
3. Dan Sperber
4. Deirdre Wilson
5. Brown and Levinson
6. Geoffrey Leech
7. Stephen Levinson
Applications
1. Language Teaching: pragmatics informs language instruction and materials development
2. Communication Disorders: understanding pragmatic impairments in autism, aphasia,
etc.
3. Discourse Analysis: analyzing language use in social contexts
4. *rtificial Intelligence: developing pragmatic natural language processing
5. Linguistic Anthropology: examining language use in cultural contexts
6. Forensic Linguistics: analyzing language evidence in legal contexts
Research Methods
1. Discourse Analysis: examining language use in context
2. Experimental Methods: testing pragmatic hypotheses
3. Corpus Linguistics: analyzing large language databases
4. Ethnographic Research: observing language use in natural settings
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5. Surveys and Interviews: gathering self-reported data
Challenges and Future Directions
1. Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: accounting for variation in pragmatic norms
2. Contextual Complexity: modeling dynamic contextual factors
3. Multimodal Communication: integrating nonverbal cues
4. Pragmatic Development: understanding language acquisition
5. Computational Pragmatics: developing pragmatic AI models
References
1. Grice, H. P. (1975). Logic and conversation.
2. Austin, J. L. (1962). How to do things with words.
3. Sperber, D., & Wilson, D. (1986). Relevance: Communication and cognition.
4. Brown, P., & Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage.
5. Leech, G. (1983). Principles of pragmatics.
