Studying at York
Introduction to Pragmatics - LAN00059I
- Department: Language and Linguistic Science
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: I
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
- See module specification for other years: 2023-24
Module summary
This module will introduce you to the study of meaning in context. One of the leading questions we will seek to answer is how much of the meaning we communicate by using language is coded in the grammatical system and how much needs to be inferred. By looking at how meaning is constructed and negotiated by speakers in concrete communicative situations, you will learn about those aspects of communication that go beyond truth-conditional (often labeled 'semantic') aspects of utterance interpretation. These include notions such as explicit and implicit meaning (the distinction between 'what is said' and 'what is meant'), conversational implicature (suggested inferences that arise as a result of co-operative behaviour), reference determination (the various ways in which our grammar allows us to talk about entities in the external world), figurative language (metaphor, irony, etc.) and information packaging (strategies of making larger chunks of language appear coherent). The module will appeal to those students who would like to deepen their knowledge of English grammar and meaning from a non-formal point of view.
Related modules
Pre-requisite modules
Co-requisite modules
- None
Prohibited combinations
- None
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
The module is aimed at students who would like to take their study of meaning and grammar further and deepen their knowledge of core concepts introduced in Introduction to Semantics. The approach taken is strictly non-formal in nature but emphasizes the same attention to detail as its formal counterpart. Students will:
- learn about some of the major concepts in inferential pragmatics
- learn how to construct holistic, step-by-step analyses of how meaning is constructed via code (grammar) and inference (interpretation) in human interaction
- learn how to understand the relationship between linguistic theory and the analysis of naturally-occurring data
- develop an appreciation of ambiguity and 'grey areas' in semantic and pragmatic theory
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module, you will be able to:
- analyse natural language data from the point of view of some core pragmatic theories
- form generalizations and spot patterns in data
- evaluate in written form the strengths and weaknesses of certain pragmatic theories for the analysis of naturally occurring data
Module content
The module will focus on core topics at the interface between grammar and pragmatics, e.g.
- Code vs. inference
- Varieties of non-truth-conditional meaning at the lexical, phrasal and syntactic level
- Reference at discourse-level: the English NP, definiteness, deixis, types of anaphora, coherence and cohesion
- Information structure/packaging
- Research methods in pragmatics: experimental pragmatics, corpus pragmatics
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 30 |
| Essay/coursework | 70 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 30 |
| Essay/coursework | 70 |
Module feedback
Students will receive written, individualised feedback within two weeks of submission on the formative core notion essay and the summative data analysis essay, and within 20 working days of submission on the summative data analysis portfolio.
Indicative reading
Birner, B. J. (2012). Introduction to pragmatics. John Wiley & Sons.
Culpeper, J., & Haugh, M. (2014). Pragmatics and the English language. Palgrave Macmillan.