Pragmatics: signs and their interpreter


- signs relate to their users: 3 sign models:

1. Ferdinand de Saussures:

- Person A has a concept (question, information...) and evokes an image acoustique in his mind.
He speaks (Phonation) → sends signs (question, information...)
Person B listens (Audition) and in order to understand the content the signs have to evoke the same context in his mind.
                          


2. Karl Bühler

- Communication between speaker and hearer is only possible if they put the same
content into the sign.


                         


3. Roman Jakobsen:

- Jakobsen extended Bühler's concept. Sender sends a code which has to be decoded by the receiver to understand the context.

                        
 
  - syntax: the relation of signs to each other
  - semantics: the relation of signs to the world
  - pragmatics: the relation of signs to their users


 

A traditional distinction (due to Rudolf Carnap):

Pragmatic meaning: appraisal:

   - one can have a 
                             • subjective judgement    (real nice jumper)
                             • descriptive judgement   (warm brown jumper)

Speech acts:

   - express a statement in different kind of ways:
                              • politeness
                              • insulting
                              • promising
                                 ...