1,778 research outputs found
“After all, the last thing I wanted to be was rude”: Raising of pragmatic awareness through reflective writing
No full textThis study reports on findings from a corpus of reflective writing texts written by medical students at a British university (N=178). During their training, the BA students take a compulsory course on communication skills where they learn the importance of noting medical histories, listening to patients, using open and closed questions, keeping eye contact, showing adequate empathy and creating rapport and trust among other skills. A requirement of this course is to submit a written text of two to three pages in which the students are asked to first recall a memorable encounter with a patient, then to reflect on their communication skills during that episode and finally to conclude by formulating aims for future conduct (cf. Branch and Paranjape 2002, Hampton 2012 on reflective writing). While the teaching of the communication skills does not explicitly include raising awareness of rapport and politeness issues on a theoretical level as discussed in linguistics, the texts raise concerns about relational and interpersonal issues (cf. Spencer-Oatey 2007; Locher and Watts 2005). The questions pursued are ‘which communication skills are taught?’; ‘what communication skills surface in the students’ texts?’; and ‘what is the link to interpersonal pragmatics’? The methodology employed consists of critical close readings of the texts with an interpersonal pragmatics lens (cf. The Handbook of Interpersonal Pragmatics, Locher and Graham 2010) within the framework of relational work (cf. Locher and Watts 2005; Locher 2012). The paper reveals that the students choose to write about interpersonal (e.g., empathy, rapport) rather than interactional (e.g. ask questions) communication skills to a large degree and they identify relational issues that overlap to a striking degree with issues that are currently debated in linguistics: The importance/value of rapport and empathy; interpersonal consequences of communication on relationships; the challenge of finding the right level; and the role of emotions. The paper ends with a discussion of the potential of the reflective writing task for awareness raising of pragmatic rules in teaching
Relational work, politeness and identity construction
No full textAs social beings we express, communicate, and, ultimately, negotiate our identity through many different channels: one such channel may be the way we dress, another the way we comport ourselves; yet another important channel is the use of language. We can even claim that the way in which we use language plays a crucial role when enhancing, maintaining, and challenging relationships in interpersonal communication. This use of language has variously been termed facework, identity work, relational work or rapport management (cf. Section 3 and 4 for references). This chapter is intended to explain this use by utilizing some of the literature on identity that follows a postmodernist understanding of the concept of identity as “the social positioning of self and other” (Bucholtz and Hall 2005:586). In a ddition, an attempt is made to combine research on the construction of identity by means of language more generally with the linguistic literature that has developed ideas under the keyword politeness. It is shown in this chapter that politeness research can fruitfully be combined with research on identity construction. This line of thought has already been pursued to some extent in the field of gender research (cf. Swann 2000), and also in studies on face and identity more generally (cf. Tracy 1990; Spencer-Oatey 20 07a,b). The chapter thus focuses on the interpersonal side of communication and further intends to explore the links between identity, face, and politeness. It is organized as follows: In section 2, I will discuss the interpersonal and the informational aspect of language. In Section 3, I will move on to link these ideas to identity construction in general. In Section 4, different approaches to politeness will be at the heart of the investigation and will be discussed with identity construction in mind. In Section 5, concluding remarks on the two approaches to interpersonal communication will round off the chapter
Polite behavior within relational work : the discursive approach to politeness
No full textEver since Brown and Levinson’s (1978, 1987) seminal work, politeness research in linguistics has been thriving. It is only in the last couple of years, however, that alternative ways of looking at politeness have been investigated in more detail and have gained more followers. This paper aims at explaining one of these ways - the discursive approach to politeness - and argues for employing the notion of relational work to move away from a dichotomy between politeness and impoliteness. Instead, it is argued that relational work comprises negatively marked behavior (impoliteness/rudeness), positively marked behavior (politeness), as well as nonmarked, politic behavior which is merely appropriate to the interaction in question and not polite as such. The interactants’ assessments of linguistic behavior with respect to norms of appropriateness in social interaction is argued to be at the heart of politeness considerations rather than knowledge of prefabricated inherent linguistic devices. These theoretical considerations are illustrated with a discussion of non-elicited, written data
[Special issue on the] Pragmatics of Translation
No full textThe special issue edited in the Journal of Pragmatics by Miriam A. Locher and Maria Sidiropoulou presents papers on translation outcomes and processes and highlights a pragmatic angle of understanding the transfer of language phenomena across cultures and intra-culturally. Translation is approached from a broad perspective, including written textual translation as well other modalities such as signing, simultaneous oral translation or audiovisual translation. https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-pragmatics/special-issue/1072R6B7G7Z Editors: Miriam A. Locher and Maria Sidiropoulou Locher, Miriam A., & Sidiropoulou, Maria. (2021). Introducing the special issue on the pragmatics of translation. Journal of Pragmatics, 178, 121-126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2021.03.007 Interpreting practices in different modes Dayter, Daria. (2021). Dealing with interactionally risky speech acts in simultaneous interpreting: The case of self-praise. Journal of Pragmatics, 174 , 28-42. https://doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2020.12.010 (open access) Mapson, Rachel, & Major, George. (2021). Interpreters, rapport, and the role of familiarity. Journal of Pragmatics, 176, 63-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2021.01.020 Written translation of fictional and non-fictional texts Pollali, Christina-Styliani, & Sidiropoulou, Maria. (2021). Identity formation and patriarchal voices in theatre translation. Journal of Pragmatics, 177, 97-108. https://https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2021.02.018 Sidiropoulou, Maria. (2020). Understanding migration through translating the multimodal code. Journal of Pragmatics, 170 , 284-300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2020.09.020 Kefala, Stavroula. (2021). The pragmatics of translated tourism advertising. Journal of Pragmatics, 173 , 88-100. https://doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2020.12.001 Subtitling and user generated comments Guillot, Marie-Noëlle. (2020). The pragmatics of audiovisual translation: Voices from within in film subtitling. Journal of Pragmatics, 170 , 317-330. https://doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2020.09.015 Locher, Miriam A. (2020). Moments of relational work in English fan translations of Korean TV drama. Journal of Pragmatics, 170 , 139-155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2020.08.002 (open access) Locher, Miriam A., & Messerli, Thomas C. (2020). Translating the other: Communal TV watching of Korean TV drama. Journal of Pragmatics, 170 , 20-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2020.07.002 (open access
"Can I Be at Risk of Getting AIDS?" A Linguistic Analysis of Two Internet Columns on Sexual Health
No full textRecent global statistics highlight that, out of all new cases of HIV infection, 45% are diagnosed in young people (UNAIDS 2008). Despite a range of new initiatives aimed at increasing young people's knowledge of HIV at the beginning of the first decade of the twenty-first century (UNAIDS 2001), latest figures highlight that such initiatives have not been wholly successful in preventing new infection in young people (UNAIDS 2011). In light of this, the language patterns that young people use when seeking information about HIV/AIDS are investigated. Our focus in particular is on computer-mediated-communication, a relatively under-researched area in the sphere of health communication. Building on previous research (Locher 2006, 2010; Harvey et al. 2008; Harvey 2013), we examine one UK and one US Internet-based, professional, health advice column as sources of advice-information for young people. Despite numerous established health campaigns, young advice-seekers' questions reflect misinformed conceptions, such as the conflation of HIV and AIDS and confusion as to the way in which the virus can be contracted. Our linguistic research gives access to young people's lay beliefs about sexual health and highlights the need to redress such beliefs, with the aim of improving the effectiveness of health education initiatives. We suggest that computer-mediated communication can be one effective medium through which to assess young people's knowledge about HIV/AIDS, as well as effectively disseminating sexual health advice and information by health care bodies
Introducing the ‘teaching’ and ‘learning’ of (im)politeness
No full textThis chapter outlines the editors’ conceptualization of the key terminology that gives the collection its title, such as (im)politeness, ‘teaching’ and ‘learning.’ It describes the relationship between the field of (im)politeness research and various strands of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) studies, highlights important developments in these respective domains, and advocates an enhanced dialogue between them that can lead to positive cross-fertilization. It then outlines selected issues raised in individual chapters, as well as a theme that emerged consistently across the contributions, i.e. the role of ‘awareness’; its presence or absence is seen as variously affecting individuals’ ability to achieve accurate representations of (im)politeness notions, offsetting difficulties in language learning and the development of intercultural competence, or enabling the very perception of some facets of interpersonal relationships
"So let's talk. Let's chat. Let's start a dialogue" : an analysis of the conversation metaphor employed in Clinton's and Obama's YouTube campaign clips
No full textThis paper examines how two American presidential candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, make use of a video exchange is conversation metaphor on YouTube, a chann^el of communication that allows the exchange of video clips on the Internet. It is argued that the politicians exploit the metaphor for its connotations of creating involvement and closeness and its potential as a persuasive strategy. They are, however, also restricted by the video exchange is conversation metaphor: since the metaphor entails alternating speaker roles, the willingness of the addressee to engage in the exchange and to personally bond, the candidates have to construct a viewer identity and a candidate identity that matches the framework of the metaphor. In addition, the influence of the medium You-Tube on the linguistic presentation is discussed in a close reading of the video clips, its main restrictions being currency (topicality and coherence), as well as asynchronicity, which results in a pseudo-dialogic character of the exchange
Multilingualism in fiction
No full textMultilingualism is a fact that has shaped and is shaping the linguistic set-up of our societies. Fictional texts also have a long tradition of drawing on polyglottal means, a fact that has been studied in many different disciplines. This chapter sketches the different research traditions that explore the phenomenon. It touches especially on the techniques of incorporating different languages in the same fictional text, such as attempts at presenting authentic multilingual renditions as well as simplifying the multilingual situation in processes that draw on the potential of linguistic indexicality, translation and contextual embedding. The main focus lies on the potential pragmatic effects that the texts can achieve, such as scene creation/enrichment, character creation, the creation of humor, the display of social criticism, realism and ideological debates of difference and belonging. For a text to work it is rarely necessary to transpose multilingual reality entirely in all its complexity into a fictional text. However, the ways in which multilingualism does occur in fiction deserve to be studied in their own right
The rise of prescriptive grammars in the 18th century
No full textThis chapter deals with the dramatic increase in the number of publications on English grammar in the second half of the 18th century in England. These texts have been discussed in connection with the process of language standardization since they propagate a normative, prescriptive view of language (cf., e.g., Milroy and Milroy 1991). The questions I will focus on are the following: - Why is there a n increase in the number of grammars of the English language from the middle of the 18th century onwards? and - How are these texts to be understood in their socio-historical context
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