Cioaza Elena Roxana

Pragmatics
Language and Communication in Business Administration
The room was dull and threadbare, and the snow outside seemed fairy-like by comparison, so
white on the lawn and tufted on the bushes. Except in the fireglow, where they had laid the
bath on the hearth. Mrs Massy, her black hair always smoothly coiled and queenly, kneeled by
the bath, wearing a rubber apron, and holding the kicking child. Her husband stood holding
the towels and the flannels to warm. Louisa, too cross to share in the joy of the baby's bath,
was laying the table. The boy was hanging on the door-knob, wrestling with it to get out. His
father looked round.
'Come away from the door, Jack,' he said ineffectually. Jack tugged harder at the knob as
if he did not hear. Mr Massy blinked at him.
'He must come away from the door, Mary,' he said. 'There will be a draught if it is
opened.'
Jack, come away from the door, dear,' said the mother, dexterously turning the shiny wet
baby on to her towelled knee, then glancing round: 'Go and tell Auntie Louisa about the train.'
Louisa, also afraid to open the door, was watching the scene on the hearth. Mr Massy
stood holding the baby's flannel, as if assisting at some ceremonial. If everybody had not been
subduedly angry, it would have been ridiculous.
'I want to see out of the window,' Jack said. His father turned hastily.
'Do you mind lifting him on to a chair, Louisa,' said Mary hastily. The father was too
delicate.
When the baby was flannelled, Mr Massy went upstairs and returned with four pillows,
which he set in the fender to warm. Then he stood watching the mother feed her child,
obsessed by the idea of his infant.
Louisa went on with her preparations for the meal. She could not have told why she was
so sullenly angry. Mrs Lindley, as usual, lay silently watching.
Mary carried her child upstairs, followed by her husband with the pillows. After a while
he came down again.
'What is Mary doing? Why doesn't she come down to eat?' asked Mrs Lindley.
'She is staying with baby. The room is rather cold. I will ask the girl to put in a fire.' He
was going absorbedly to the door.
'But Mary has had nothing to eat. It is she who will catch cold,' said the mother,
exasperated.
Mr Massy seemed as if he did not hear. Yet he looked at his mother-in-law, and answered.
'I will take her something.'
He went out. Mrs Lindley shifted on her couch with anger. Miss Louisa glowered. But no
one said anything, because of the money that came to the vicarage from Mr Massy.

D. H. Lawrence, Daughters of the Vicar

http://courses.nus.edu.sg/course/ellibst/lsl23.html

Pragmatics is is that it is the study of linguistic meaning in context which is illustrated by

several aspects. For example, our text is represented by a description of the place. Through the
windows of a home, the snow falls indifferent to the warming fire inside. We also have
several characters which are preparing for dinner. Mrs Massy attends the small baby giving it
a bath, meanwhile her husband tries to cope with the bigger sun. The last, wants to open the
door of the house in the power of the winter night meantime his brother was given a bath.
The contextual knowledge allows us to say that the fathers inneffectual communication is
due to knowing that his child is up to something and he wont listen only his requirement. The
child needs some other kind of intervention. This is why, his mother asks him to tell Auntie
Louisa about the trainthose times miracle.
The conversational implicature is present in the affirmation of Mr Massy to his wife: He
must come away from the door... There will be a draught if it is opened. What he actually
wants and transmits indirectly is a request toward his wife to convinge their sunt Jack to come
from the door. Interpretation is tricky because misunderstandings are always possible. In this
case the assumption is confirmed by the reaction of the mother which calls his sun. The
conversation is based on cooperative principles and the partners use conversational
implicatures and contribute to further conversation.
Mr Massy uses as much information as is necessary in an informal manner and also uses the
strongest statement he can. In other words, he respects the Maxim of Quantity in discussing
with his wife. His wife knows his way of expressing and this is why they can communicate
efficiently based on contextual knowledge and implicature.
Being a little tense and angry Mrs Massy uses a negative politeness strategy toward Louisa:
'Do you mind lifting him on to a chair, Louisa,' said Mary hastily. The author joins her: the
father was to delicate.Maybe he suffered a physical injury.
Being asked by Mrs Lindley where is Mary he offers less information than it is expected. Of
course that Mrs Lindley knew that Mary is with her child but she was concerned about her not
eating. Fair enough he had given enough information but Mrs Lindleys question was not
specific enough. She probably thought that implicature will also work in communicating with
Mr Massy but it seems he communicates like this only with his wife. Another perspective
regards the fact that he does not want to reveal the fact that his wife was angry. He also might
not knew what his wife was about to do. So he tries to remain calm and offer himself to bring
food for his wife.