Context and inference

Context and inference

1. Deixis

   • The phenomenon whereby the reference of certain expressions cannot be determined without knowing to the extralinguistic context of the utterance.

2. SPATIAL DEIXIS

   • Every language carries an implicit division of the space around the current speaker

3. EXTENSIONS OF SPATIAL DEIXIS

   • Systems of spatial deixis are also used in other domains
   • Textual deixis - metaphoric deixis in texts, often borrowing spatial/temporal deictic words

4. PERSON DEIXIS

   • A further deictic system grammaticalized the roles of participants (the current speaker, addressee and others).

5. GRAMATICALIZATION OF CONTEXT

   • Languages vary in the type of semantic information that is obligatory included in deictic terms=grammaticalized

6. SOCIAL DEIXIS

   • Social deixis: French tu/vous, German du/Sie, Middle English thou/ye); metaphorical proximity/distance on a social hierarchy (age, power, class) or in terms of familiarity/solidarity.
   • Deictic because choice of forms depends on speaker.

7. Information Structure

   • The most universally grammaticalized distinction is the basic one between the information which the speakers assume the hearers already know.

8. Knowledge as a Context

   • The choice of words reveals that the person thinks the hearer identifies both the baby and the canary are involved

9. Reference and Context

   • Speakers calculate how much information the hearer needs to make a successful reference

10. RELEVANCE THEORY

    • Ostensive communication
      • Describes a situation where there is interaction: the communicator wants to signal something and create a mutual environment of communication and this intention is recognized by her hearers.

11. LITERAL LANGUAGE THEORY

    • In this theory the principle is often viewed as the engine wich drives the interpretetion of non-literal utterances.

12. Coreference

    • A referential relation between expressions where they both refer to the same entity.

13. Conversational impliccature

    • Is a kind of tacit agreement by speakers and listeners to cooperate in communication