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National College of Business Administration & Economics

This document discusses key concepts in pragmatics and discourse analysis including reference, presupposition, implicature, and inference. It provides examples and definitions for each concept. Reference refers to the relationship between words and what they point to. Presupposition is an implicit assumption about the world taken for granted in discourse. Implicature involves implied meanings from context. Inference is drawing a conclusion beyond the explicit evidence or information given.

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Meshu Qadir
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29 views

National College of Business Administration & Economics

This document discusses key concepts in pragmatics and discourse analysis including reference, presupposition, implicature, and inference. It provides examples and definitions for each concept. Reference refers to the relationship between words and what they point to. Presupposition is an implicit assumption about the world taken for granted in discourse. Implicature involves implied meanings from context. Inference is drawing a conclusion beyond the explicit evidence or information given.

Uploaded by

Meshu Qadir
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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National College of Business Administration &

Economics

Submitted To:
Ma’am Summiyah

Subject:
Discourse studies

Pragmatics and discourse context


Discourse analyst

Linguistic elements language in context by


Speaker/writer

1) Reference:
 The term reference is used to define the relationship between a word
and what it points to.
 Or the relation between two linguistic expression.
 Words refer to things.
Examples:
 He went to a shop, it was closed.
 If you want them, there are cookies in the kitchen.

2) Presupposition:
 In the branch of linguistics known as pragmatics, a presupposition (or
PSP) is an implicit assumption about the world or background belief
relating to an utterance whose truth is taken for granted in discourse.
 Presuppositions are associated with the use of a large number of
words, phrases and structures.
 These linguistic forms are considered as indicators of potential
presupposition, which can only become actual presupposition in
contexts with speakers.
Examples:
 Jane no longer writes fiction.
Presupposition: Jane once wrote fiction.

3) Implicatures:
 The word implicature (implicature) is taken from the verb “to imply”
which comes from the Latin “plicare”. Etymologically, “to imply” means
to fold something into something else.
 Implicature cannot be separated from the principle of cooperation
between the two speakers in a conversation interaction.
 It is stated that there are two types of implicature, namely conventional
implicature which result from logical reasoning and conversational
implicature that are produced due to certain contexts.
Example:
 He is poor but happy.
The word “but” implicates a sense of contrast between being
poor and being happy.

4) Inference:
 An inference is the process of drawing a conclusion from supporting
evidence.
 It’s when you go beyond the evidence and reach some further
conclusion.
Example:
 I do not see Anne. She said she was tired, so she must have gone
home to take rest.
 A character has a diaper in her hand and a bottle warming on the
counter. You can infer that this character is a mother.

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