1. Understanding Language Through Context
Pragmatics
Understanding Language Through Context

2. Embodied knowledge From personal experience (sights, sounds, smells)
Relevant to texts based on memoir
Embodied knowledge

3. Contextual rather than textual knowledge
Contextual rather than textual knowledge. The ideas you already have about a topic is your schema for that topic. If you have a rich schema for something, it means you know a lot about it.
An audience may need a schema for the topic to understand some texts
Schematic Knowledge

4. Spanish television U.S. Politics Football Japan Northern Ireland
Schematic Knowledge
Spanish television
U.S. Politics
Football
Japan
Northern Ireland
France
Do you have a rich or poor schema for….

5. Conventions of Communication
In the Anthology Paris, you will find examples of the following (especially in the spontaneous, spoken mode of communication). Knowing these terms will help you to analyse them.
Conversational maxims
Politeness
Deixis (context reliant meaning)
Conventions of Communication

6. Conversational Maxims
Rules of conversation:
Quantity: don’t talk too much or too little
Quality: be honest
Relevance: stay on topic
Manner: be clear
Conversational Maxims

7. Politeness Strategies
People often use politeness strategies when communicating.
Flattery
Indirect questions
Apologising before asking
Politeness Strategies

8. Dexis (context based) There are three deictic categories:
Person deixis: he, we, etc
Spatial dexis: here, that, etc.
Temporal dexis: now, later that night, etc.
Dexis can be proximal (close) or distal (at a distance from the speaker).
Complete Activity 3 on page 54 of the course book .
Dexis (context based)

9. Task Conversational maxims Politeness Deixis
Look for examples of these in texts in the Anthology Paris.
Task