Context and culture

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Context and culture
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Do you remember this?

• Hymes suggests that in order to be able to
  communicate language, a person should acquire
  four types of knowledge
• Possibility
• Feasibility
• Appropriateness
• attestedness

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Context and culture

• Hymes has led the study of language in a
  different direction. His theory views language
  analysis through the account of other factors
  other than the words themselves.
• These factors are many. All of the following
  might be involved in interpreting a real
  encounter
• Tone of voice and facial expression the
  relationship between speakers their age, sex,
  and social status the time and place and the
  degree to which speakers do or do not share same
  cultural background.

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Context and culture

• All the previous factors are known as context,
  and they are all relevant to whether a particular
  action or utterance is appropriate.

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Systemizing Context Discourse analysis

• Linguists has claimed that the meaning of
  language in context is so messy and subjective
  that it is beyond the reach of systematic
  enquiry.
• However, in order to systemize this area of
  language, applied linguistics developed discourse
  analysis (the study of how stretches of language
  in context are perceived as meaningful and
  unified by their users).

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Discourse analysis

• There are three areas of study that contribute to
  the field of discourse analysis
• Paralanguage
• Pragmatics
• genres

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paralanguage
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paralanguage

• Any meaningful nonlinguistic behavior which
  accompanies linguistic communication, e.g.
  gestures and intonation in speech, or pictures
  and font in writing
• Example
• Gestures in an interview

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paralanguage

• Convincing research suggests that paralinguistic
  messages can outweigh linguistic ones, especially
  in establishing and maintaining relationships.
• For this reason, understanding of paralanguage is
  relevant in any professional activity involved
  with effective communication, or developing
  effective communication in others, such as media
  training, speech therapy, and language teaching.

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What about writing?

• Writing has paralanguage too.
• Words can be scribbled, printed, or painted, and
  their meaning can be amplified or altered by
  layout, accompanying pictures, and diagrams.

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What if we have a mix?

• At this time where technology is used to mix
  writing with visual effects in ways which can be
  altering fundamentally the nature and process of
  communication, there is a pressing need to
  integrate the findings of the role of speech
  (psychology) and the role of writing
  (typography).
• The study of visual communication and
  computer-mediated communication are growing areas
  in applied linguistics.

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pragmatics
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pragmatics

• Pragmatics
• is the discipline which studies the knowledge
  and procedures which enables people to understand
  each others words. Its main concern is not the
  literal meaning, but what speakers intend to do
  with their words.

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Example

• How are you?
• In language it is an interrogative sentence
  taking literally it asks about someones health.
• However. It can be answered differently depending
  on the context
• Mind your own business
• dont make me sick
• Deeply depressed
• Thanks be to God

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genres
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genres

• Meaning also changes with the kind of
  communicative even which words belong to.
• Example
• Describe a person according to the following
  situation.
• Gossiping about that person
• Writing a job reference
• Introducing him/her to a friend

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genres

• Genres is a term defined by the applied linguist
  John Swales as a class of communicative events
  which share some set of communicative purposes.
• Examples
• Conversations
• Consultations
• Lessons
• E-mails
• News bulletins
• Stories
• Jokes

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Communicative competence

• In conclusion, all these elements of
  discourse-interpreting paralanguage,
  understanding pragmatic intention, and
  distinguishing different genres- are part of a
  persons communicative competence.