Playing with Words

1
Playing with Words

• Aesop
• ??
• Clothing store using this name
• ??

2
Chapter 5 Homework(Ex. 10, pp. 226-227)

• a. Mary agent
• a ball theme
• in the house location
• b. the children agent
• from the playground source
• to the wading pool goal

3
Chapter 5 Homework(Ex. 10, pp. 226-227)

• c. one of the men agent
• all the doors theme
• with a paper clip instrument
• d. John agent
• the ice theme
• with a blowtorch instrument
• e. the sun causative
• the ice theme

4
Chapter 5 Homework(Ex. 10, pp. 226-227)

• f. the ice theme
• g. with a telescope instrument
• the boy experiencer
• the man theme
• h. the farmer agent
• hay theme
• onto the truck goal

5
Chapter 5 Homework(Ex. 10, pp. 226-227)

• i. the farmer agent
• the hay theme
• with a pitchfork instrument
• j. the hay theme
• on the truck goal
• by the farmer agent

6

• If the balloons popped, the sound wouldnt be
  able to carry since everything would be too far
  away from the correct floor. A closed window
  would also prevent the sound from carrying, since
  most buildings tend to be well insulated. Since
  the whole operation depends on a steady flow of
  electricity, a break in the middle of the wire
  would also cause problems. Of course, the fellow
  could shout, but the human voice is not loud
  enough to carry that far. An additional problem
  is that a string could break on the instrument.
  Then there could be no accompaniment to the
  message. It is clear that the best situation
  would involve less distance. Then there would be
  fewer potential problems. With face to face
  contact, the least number of things could go
  wrong.

Bransford and Johnson, 1972, p. 719, quoted in
Omaggio, 1986, pp. 103-104.
7
Pro-Forms

• Pro-NP / Pronoun
• Jan saw the boy with the telescope.
• Dan also saw him.
• Pro-VP
• Emily hugged Cassidy
• and Zachary did too.
• Pro-S
• I am sick, which depresses me.

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2003. An Introduction to Language. Boston, MA
Wadsworth, p. 210.
8
A vs. The

• I bought a new jacket.
• A jacket is red.
• I bought a new jacket.
• The jacket is red.

9
A vs. The

• My brothers arrived last night.
• Today, one is meeting me for lunch,
• the other is going to Kenting.
• Today, one is meeting me for lunch,
• another is going to Kenting.

10
Deriving Meaning from Linguistic Context

• ? Previous sentences
• ? Pronouns
• ? Articles

11
Deriving Meaning from Situational Context

• ? Maxims of Conversation
• ? Speech Acts
• ? Presuppositions
• ? Deixis

12
Maxims of Conversation

• 1. Quantity
• Say neither more nor less than the discourse
  requires.
• 2. Relevance
• Be relevant.
• 3. Manner
• Be brief and orderly avoid ambiguity and
  obscurity.
• 4. Quality
• Do not lie do not make unsupported claims.

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2003. An Introduction to Language. Boston, MA
Wadsworth, pp. 213-214.
13
Violating the Maxims of Conversation

• 1. Letter of Recommendation
• NOT saying ENOUGH
• 2. Does Sally have a boyfriend?
• She goes to Taipei every weekend.
• 3. Masticating alimentary sustenance thoroughly
  can promote enhanced cholesterol levels.
• 4. Who took my book?
• Bill. I heard someone say he came out

14
Presuppositions

• a. Have you stopped hugging your sheepdog?
• b. Who bought the badminton set?
• c. John doesnt write poems anymore.
• d. The present King of France is bald.
• e. Would you like another beer?

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2003. An Introduction to Language. Boston, MA
Wadsworth, p. 216.
15
Chapter 5 Homework(Ex. 17, pp. 228-229)

• a. Please take me out to the ball game again.
• I have been to a ball game before.
• b. Valerie regretted not receiving a new T-bird
• for Labor Day.
• Valerie did not get a new T-bird.
• (At least not for Labor Day.)
• c. That her pet turtle ran away made Emily
• very sad.
• Emilys pet turtle ran away.

16
Chapter 5 Homework(Ex. 17, pp. 228-229)

• d. The administration forgot that the professors
  support the students.
• The professors support the students.
• Vs. The administration believes that the
  professors support the students.
• They believe it, but it may not be true.
• e. It is an atrocity that the World Trade Center
  was attacked on September 11, 2001.
• The WTC was attacked.
• The attack occurred September 11, 2001.

17
Chapter 5 Homework(Ex. 17, pp. 228-229)

• f. Isnt it an atrocity that the World Trade
  Center was attacked on September 11, 2001?
• The WTC was attacked.
• The attack occurred September 11, 2001.
• g. Disa wants more popcorn.
• Disa has already had some popcorn.

18
Chapter 5 Homework(Ex. 17, pp. 228-229)

• h. Why dont pigs have wings?
• Pigs do not have wings.
• i. Who discovered Pluto in 1930?
• Someone discovered Pluto.
• It was discovered in 1930.

19
Deixis

• ? First and Second person pronouns
• ? Free Third person pronouns
• ? Demonstratives (Pronouns and NPs)
• ? Time deixis
• ? Place deixis

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2003. An Introduction to Language. Boston, MA
Wadsworth, pp. 218-219.