Pragmatics: Crash Course Linguistics #6

We don’t always say exactly what we mean, and yet we’re still pretty good at understanding each other. That’s because we don’t just use meaning to figure out what’s going on, we also use context. This episode of Crash Course Linguistics is all about pragmatics, the area of linguistics that deals with context. We’ll cover the four main assumptions we make about context in language, also known as Grice’s Maxims, as well as the ways that languages can use grammar to convey politeness, and the different types of conversational styles within and between languages.

Carefree by Kevin MacLeod

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[ethanmcdermott]

Talking about using pragmatics to imply viewers should subscribe while using pragmatics to imply viewers should subscribe was super meta

[soundlyawake]

2:41 okay so I literally just tweeted a picture of a head of lettuce I bought at the grocery store that came with a “boneless” tag on it so this is a very timely video for me

[BlueberryHobbit]

The “hedges” to make requests more polite are a huge talking point in our home because my husband has a form of autism. It’s been eye-opening to realize that the polite “brr it’s chilly” is stressful to him because I didn’t tell him outright “I want you to close the window.” What is abrasive to me is clear and concise to him.

[AkankshaSingh-hxdb]

Hindi has all of these features for making requests polite:
1. We use "na" also the word for no to make it sound polite: "baitho na" sit no
2. We repeat the word: "baitho, baitho" sit sit.
3. We have not one, not two but three second person pronouns based on formality: tu, tum and aap.

[HyTricksyy]

The Cooperative Principle is still one of my favourite things to have learned about in Linguistics.

[zprine]

“Great job, Sherlock” - communicating the actual saying without getting demonetized

[vaughnjohnson]

Gav used Life Story!
It’s super effective!
Duck can’t talk!
Duck used interrupt!
Gav is annoyed!
Duck used Can you let me talk for even a single second?!
It’s super effective!
Gav Left the conversation!
Duck wins!

[shcxatter]

So basically they're giving us a crash course not only on linguistics, but humor also. Humor is basically all of these expectations and unspoken rules, broken in a socially acceptable manner. Really useful info in this one

[lhfirex]

Gav is cute and an excellent sidekick for these lessons!

[NourFt]

first time studying this at uni and it's helping a lot! thank you crash course ❤

[GarrettEderer]

In case anyone else was curious…. The collective noun used for a group of ducks depends on where they are. For example, a group of ducks can be referred to as either a raft or paddling on the water. On the ground, a group of ducks can be called a waddling and a badelyng or badling - which is a common term to describe a brood of ducks.

[beardieboo]

Didn't realize that philosophy plays such an important role in linguistics. That's awesome.

[TheAndrewSchneider]

Gav will definitely need a fan club manager by the end of this series!

[ericBorja]

How heated was the discussion of how GIF should be pronounced when making this video?

[hallemarie]

High involvement and high considerateness are such interesting terms! I feel like I've always noticed those differences but it's so so interesting to know that there are words for it ! wow i love linguistics

[Maria-qyce]

I wrote my masters thesis in pragmatics and I got an A. It's so interesting!

[Nikanike]

Grice's Maxims are brilliant but also problematic: it seems that there are as many utterances which follow the maxims as there are those which flout them. There is larger context to communication acts, which add to the cooperative principle. For example frame semantics (which is a part of cognitive linguistics, which does not really separate semantics and pragmatics) says that we store entrenched contextual frames (learnt skeletons of situations), which help us communicate and act without the need for adding loads of information. For example, if I say 'I had a latte in the new cafe next door', the collocutor/hearer understands without me saying that I entered, ordered with a waiter/barista, paid, etc. Different frames 'require' different ways of speaking (formal/informal, recognized formulas) and establish relations between interlocutors. So it is not only about being cooperative when communicating but also about the kind of situation we are in (does the situation allow flouting Gricean Maxims, for example?).
Another problem with the Cooperative Principle is the fact that it kind of ignores non-communicative aspects of language, such as social bonding or the expression of emotions (like cursing). There are also utterances which break most of the Maxims but serve a social purpose or are indicative of the psychological state of the speaker, for instance.

[meluncuina]

I JUST LOVE THIS CRASH COURSE
Linguistics has never been so simply explained before.

[ItsRadishTime]

is it the right time to admit that i had never seen the at least ten ducks gif until this very now

[PodcastItaliano]

In Italian we would add "pure" ("also") when we want to give someone permission to do something without making it sound like an order. "Siediti pure" ("sit also", meaning "Please have a seat, if you please!"), "dimmi pure" ("tell me also" meaning "tell me" but in a way that's not too direct). Imperatives are REALLY impolite in Italian in most circumstances and it's always a little bit of a clash when speakers of other languages (slavs, for instance, who don't have as many) don't add these little hedges; it makes them sound aggressive, which obviously they are not.