Pragmatics Quiz - English

What is inference?

• The process of deriving implied meanings
• The process of signalling attitude
• The concept of how all communication relies on presenting a 'face'

What is irony?

• Using language to signal attitude other than what has been literally said.
• Using words that are context bound.
• A mixture of vague language and humour.
• The process of deriving implied meanings. 

What is Deixis?

• A word that is quite hard to spell
• An implied meaning that has to be inferred as a result of a conversational maxim being broken.
• Words that are context bound where meaning depends on who is being referred to, where something is happening or when something is happening.

Speech Acts

• Using paralinguistic features when speaking.
• Communicative acts that carry meaning beyond the words and phrases used within them, for example, apologies and promises.
• The awareness of others' needs to be approved of and liked.

Define Pragmatics

• a subfield of linguistics and semiotics that studies the ways in which context contributes to meaning. It encompasses speech act theory, conversational implicature, talk in interaction and other approaches to language behavior in philosophy, sociology, linguistics and anthropology.
• features that appear when we put sounds together in connected speech. It is as important to teach learners .......... features as successful communication depends as much on intonation, stress and rhythm as on the correct pronunciation of sounds.
• Some definitions limit this to verbal communication that is not words. Body language, gestures, facial expressions, tone and pitch of voice are all examples of...........

Yes or No, You are in the middle of an open field of beautifully colored, pleasantly smelling, edible wildflowers. You've just picked one and are now munching on it. You feel you are being watched. You gesture a universal sign of "I won't hurt you, unless you try to hurt me." while turning around. Is pragmatics involved in your situation?

• Yes
• No

True or False, A control group may be used for pragmatics to demonstrate no effect or a standard effect versus a novel effort applied to a treatment group.

• True
• False

True or False, The relation between a linguistic expression and its expresser is a part of pragmatics.

• True
• False

Say you are in line at a store to pay for your purchases. The cashier asks, 'How are you today?' Do you immediately go into an in-depth account of your health issues, varying mood, relationship status, and everything else going on in your life?

• Yes - definitely
• No - of course not!

Many times you can see pragmatics working when there is an ambiguous meaning - vague or unclear, idea or sentence. As always, the situation will make the ambiguous wording clear. For example, imagine you are at the airport, and you have already checked in your luggage. Then you approach the escalator and see a sign that reads, 'Luggage must be carried on the escalator.' Does this mean that you must return to the counter and get your luggage back so you can carry it on the escalator? 

• Yes
• No