Re: Pragmatics vs semantics

voiceimitator_at_gmail.com
Date: 03/17/05 

Date: 17 Mar 2005 12:22:36 -0800

>Does that make sense?

Thanks very much for your reply Neeraj! I was wondering if anyone was
going to bother respondin, or if they thought it too silly a question
to answer.

Does make sense? -- Yes and no. I mean, "yes" because I think I grasp
what you're saying -- and you've made me think that a reason I asked
the question must have been that I was thinking of the "form/content"
distinction used in literary theory and criticism, which is a
distinction I'm more comfortable with. But "no" because... Well, the
translation example was illuminating as to why people would want to
distinguish between pragmatics and semantics, but I'm still uncertain
about the bases on which to distinguish. I don't feel able, in any
particular instance, to say that something is pragmatics rather than
semantics or vice versa.

I think this is partly due to my ignorance of other linguistic
concepts: for instance, in all honesty, it's not clear to me what
"semantics" means either. An example that occurs to me: with something
like an insult -- if someone gives you the finger or says "Up yours" --
isn't impoliteness part of the speaker's meaning? If you took away the
impoliteness, what semantics would be left (assuming that all language
has a semantic content)?

Or (though I'm getting confused just thinking about this), what of
things like promising, encouraging, thanking, apologising? I mean,
doesn't the distinction between what you say and how you say it break
down with these, if you view them from the perspective that how you say
*is* what you say (you thank by saying "I thank you", etc).

=====

Regards,

VI

http://kenm.mydeardiary.com/

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