Pragmatics Quiz

What is pragmatics?

• Pragmatics is the study of how less gets communicated than is said.

• Pragmatics is concerned with the study of meaning as communicated by a speaker (or writer) and interpreted by a listener (or reader).

• Pragmatics is the science of studying about meaning of linguistic expressions.

• None of these

What is another name for Deictic expressions?

• Specific expressions

• Referring expressions

• Indexicals

• antecedents

Read this example: "I turned the corner and almost stepped on it. There was a large snake in the middle of the path". Which discussion below is correct?

• "It' and "a large snake" have a referential relationship called cataphoric reference or cataphora.

• "It" and "a large snake" are called referring expressions.

• "It" is called the antecedent and "a large snake" is called the cataphor.

• All are correct.

What is Entailment?

• It is a logical manner that clarifies the announcement.

• It is the time set by the context into speech.

• Presupposes are equal to Entailment.

• All the answers are wrong.

Can you complete this sentence? "According to Grice, people in conversation are guided by......."

• the Cooperative Principle

• four Maxims of Conversation

• a set of guidelines for effective and rational use of language

• hedges

Hedges......................................

• mean you are unable to say what you mean

• involve using vague or cautious language to show you are unsure of your information

• indicate conversational maxims

• are used to indicate that speakers are unconscious of cooperative principle maxims

What is another name for conversational implicature?

• Implication

• Entailment

• Presupposition

• Convention

Which of the following utterances performs a speech act indirectly?

• "Get me a glass of water, please."

• "What time is it?"

• "The London train is about to leave in two minutes."

• "Can I borrow your car this evening?"

Which one of the following is a presupposition of "Mary does not regret buying books via the Internet again?"

• Mary has bought books via the Internet.

• Mary has never bought books via the Internet before.

• Mary is glad that she has bought books via the Internet.

• Mary often buys books via the Internet.

In the utterance "He came home late last night," came is an example of...

• place and time deixis

• place and person deixis

• place deixis

• time deixis