Pragmatics
Ling 117: Pragmatics
This course covers topics central in the study of pragmatics, the interpretation of language use, which is closely tied to semantics. Both fields study how linguistic meaning is communicated, with Pragmatics focusing on language use and context sensitivity. For example, when I say "I", I refer to myself but when you say the same word, you refer to yourself, and not to me. Why would it be impolite to simply answer "Yes" if someone asked you "Do you have the time?" How come you understand this question as asking what time it is? These are some of the questions we will consider in this course. Topics include conversational implicature, speech acts and discourse understanding, and social deixis.
Prerequisites: Ling 53 (Semantics One)
General Education Code: None