Language in Use

Marion Durbahn

A Sample of Language

Words
Phrases Clauses

Sentences
Abstract units of linguistic analysis Text The actual use of language

What is text?

Denotation
Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the "dictionary definition."

Connotation (Refer)
refers to the associations that are connected to a certain word or the emotional suggestions related to that word.
http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/terms/denotation.htm

Exercise
Snake Spider Mother Dessert Jewel Lazy

Context can be:

Understood as
Physical reality Psychological reality

Hewings and Hewings (2005) multifaceted nature of context

Local linguistic context or co-text The wider linguistic context or intextextuality The local situational context The wider sociocultural context or socio-political aspects

Real or imaginary

Text and Discourse

Utilitarian purpose designed to get things done: notices,labels, instructions, etc Or Social Purpose
Give information Express a point of view Shape opinion Provide entertainment

Exercises
What are the purpose (functions of these utterances? 1. Its a cold one today. [From one neighbor to another as they pass by each other.] 2. Teacher: What is 5 1 2? Student: 7. 3. I pronounce you man and wife. [Said by minister.] 4. I promise to be there at five. 5. Can you lift a hundred pounds? 6. Can you pass me the salt? 7. Pass me the salt.

Find the purpose

C: This looks like this is an egg. M: Ok well this... Thats exactly what it is! How did you know? C: Because it looks like it. M: Thats what it says, see look egg, egg. ...Replica of a dinosaur egg. From the oviraptor.

If I say
The king and queen died The king died and then the queen died The king died and then the queen died from grief The queen died because the king died

Spoken and Written text

Enconded meaning

Semantic Meaning

Pragmatic Purpose

Textualization

Interpretation

Properties of Texts
Beaugrande and Dressler constitutive principles of text 1. Cohesion 2. Coherence 3. Intentionality 4. Acceptability 5. Informativity 6. Situationality 7. Intertextuality (1981) seven

Cohesion
Reference
Endophoric Reference
Anaphoric Reference Cataphoric Reference

Exoforic Reference

Conjunction Substitution Ellipsis Lexical cohesion

Coherence