《语用与交际》练习测试题库及答案

华中师范大学网络教育学院语用与交际练习测试题库及答案 本科I. Answer the following questions in your own words （每题2分）1. What is the function of context in understanding utterances?The function of context in understanding utterances is to help listeners to narrow down their choices in understanding the meaning of utterances.2. What is the relationship between deixis and context?A very close relationship exists between deixis and context.3. What is the gestural use of place deixis?If the understanding of a place deixis must rely on gestures, then it is the gestural use.4. How does conversational implicature explain language in terms of meaning? It explains language from functional, communicative and contextual aspects.5. How many maxims are there in co-operative principle? And what are they? Four. They are quality maxim, quantity maxim, relation maxim and manner maxim.6. Who invented the term “Pragmatics”?Charles Morris, an American philosopher7. What are the three sub-branches of semiotics?They are syntactics, semantics and pragmatics8. What is Carnaps understanding of “Pragmatics”?Basically Carnap understands Pragmatics as what Morris has pointed out, but specifically speaking, Carnap thinks that Pragmatics should study indexicals in language.9. What is the advantage of studying Pragmatics?One advantage of studying language through pragmatics is that we can talk about peoples intended meanings, their assumptions, their purposes or goals, and all kinds of actions (for example, requests) that they are performing when they speak.10. Is grammatical mistake equal to Pragmatic failure?Pragmatic mistake is not equal to Pragmatic failure.11. Why pragmatists study motion verb under place deixis?Because motion verbs contain a kind of built-in direction12. Why dont people say what they mean in communication?Because they want to be co-operative, polite and save their own and others face.13. What does CP stand for in Pragmatics?In Pragmatics, CP stands for co-operative principle.14. What is positive face?Positive face is the need to be liked by others, or the need to be accepted and treated as social equals.15. What is on record?On record is a technical term, referring to utterances not directly addressed to others.16. What is the disadvantage of studying Pragmatics?One big disadvantage of pragmatic study is that all these concepts related to human beings are extremely difficult to analyze in a consistent and objective way.17. Is semantic mistake equal to Pragmatic failure?精选文档No. Semantic mistake is not equal to Pragmatic failure.18. What are the possible interpretations of the phrase “Janes car”?Possible interpretations are the car owned by Jane, the car kept by Jane, the car rented by Jane etc.19. Is time part of context?Yes. Time is part of context20. What is the general role of personal deixis in communication?Its role is to indicate who participates in communication21. Is grammatical mistake equal to Pragmatic failure?Pragmatic mistake is not equal to Pragmatic failure22. What is the role of context in understanding utterances?The role of context in understanding utterances is to help listeners to narrow down their choices in understanding.23. What kind of relationship exists between deixis and context?A very close relationship exists between deixis and context.24. How do you understand gestural use of place deixis?If the understanding of a place deixis must rely on gestures, then it is the gestural use25. How does conversational implicature explain language in terms of meaning? It explains language from functional, communicative and contextual aspects.II. Explain the following terms briefly. (每题4分)1. inference2. linguistic context3. Pragmatics4. appropriacy5. indirect meaning6. politeness7. face wants8. non-linguistic context9. deixis10. conversational implicature11. context12. co-operative principle13. presupposition14. calendric use of time deixis答案：1. Inference means that we often infer or make guesses as to what the speaker intends to mean when he says something?2. It refers to the language that surrounds or accompanies a piece of utterance or discourse under analysis.3. Pragmatics studies the factors that govern our choice of language in social interaction and the effects of our choice on others.4. Appropriacy means that people should say the right thing to the right person with the right manner at the right place and in the right situation.5. Indirect meaning is the meaning that people intend to convey. It is also termed as the communicative meaning or contextual meaning.精选文档6. Politeness is showing awareness of others public self-image. Usually politeness can be understood as various means that people use in either situations of social closeness or situations of social distance.7. Face wants refer to ones face expectations. Normally people expect that others will respect their face in communication.8. Non-linguistic context refers to the type of communicative event (for example, joke, story, lecture, greeting, conversation); the topic; the purpose of the event; the setting including location of day, time and physical aspects of the situation; the participants and the relationships between them; the background knowledge etc.9. Deixis is a group of words indicating person, time, place, etc. It is originated from a Greek verb, meaning “point”, “show” and “indicate” in English.10Conversational implicature is the meaning implied in a conversation. Usually it indicates the speakers communicative purpose.11. Context can be subdivided into linguistic context and non-linguistic context. The former refers to the language that surrounds or accompanies a piece of utterance or discourse under analysis, it refers to the linguistic elements that are around an utterance. The latter includes: the type of communicative event (for example, joke, story, lecture, greeting, conversation); the topic; the purpose of the event; the setting including location of day, time and physical aspects of the situation; the participants and the relationships between them; the background knowledge etc.12. Traditionally, people date the invention of the co-operative principle back to the work of the American philosopher named H. Paul Grice. The principle includes:The Maxim of Quality try to make your contribution one that is true, specifically:a) do not say what you believe to be false b) do not say that for which you lack adequate evidenceThe Maxim of Quantity a) make your contribution as informative as is required for the current purpose of the exchangeb) do not make your contribution more informative than requiredThe Maxim of Relevance make your contributions relevantThe Maxim of Manner be perspicuous, and specificallya) avoid obscurityb) avoid ambiguityc) be brief d) be orderlyIn short, these maxims specify what participants have to do in order to conduct communication in a maximally efficient, rational, co-operative way. To do so, they should speak sincerely, relevantly and clearly, while providing sufficient information.13. By presupposition, we refer to a meaning taken as given which does not therefore need to be asserted. It has been variously defined as “semantic presupposition” (non-defeasible, contributes to the truth-conditional meaning of the sentence), and “pragmatic presupposition” (cancellable while inconsistent with speaker/hearer knowledge about the world). Pragmatic Presupposition can be understood as another type of pragmatic inference。精选文档14. Generally speaking, most languages have a basic system of reckoning and measuring time through natural cycles of day and night, lunar months, seasons and years. This is the calendric use of time units. Such time units can be used calendrically to locate events in absolute time relative to absolute time origin. For such calendric time units, there are fixed beginning and ending. For example, a calendar year is made up by calendar months from January, February, March, April, May to December while a calendar month, March, for example, consists of calendar days like March 1, March 2, 3 until the last day of that month. For a calendar year, the beginning is always fixed on January and the ending on December. And for a calendar month, the beginning is always the first day of that month while the ending is always the last day of that month.III. AIdentify the symbolic, gestural, and non-deictic uses of the second personal pronoun you in the following three cases. (每题2分)1. You never know whether to read every chapter or skip one or two. 2. I know you will all enjoy reading this chapter.3. You have to read it and you have to read it and you have to read it.1、 Non-deictic 2. Symbolic 3. Gestural BPlease identify the symbolic, gestural, and non-deictic uses of the time deixis “now” in the following three cases. (每题2分)1. I know more about Pragmatics now than before.2. Now that wasnt very nice.3. Are you ready? Wait for it! Wait for it! NOW (Here the speaker is using a rising-falling intonation to show stress.)1、symbolic 2. non-deictic 3. gesturalCPlease identify the symbolic, gestural, and non-deictic uses of the demonstrative pronoun “this” in the following three cases. (每题2分)1. I bet you werent expecting this example.2. And then this strange guy walks in and vomits.3. Which finger did he bite?/ This little finger on the right?1. symbolic 2. non-deictic 3. gesturalIV. Do the following exchanges violate any maxims under the co-operative principle? If yes, point out which maxim is being flouted. (每题2分)1. Johnny: Hey Sally lets play marbles.Mum:How is your homework getting along Johnny?Yes. It violated the maxim of relation.2. A: I hope you bought bread and cheese.B: Ah, I bought the bread.精选文档Yes. It violated the maxim of quantity.3. A: Whoa! Has your boss gone crazy?B:Lets go and get some tea.Yes. It violated the maxim of relation.4. (In a family mealtime conversation, participants talk about field hockey and how Mum has allegedly been active in this sport for a very long time, Dad sees fit to offer some ironic comments on Mums sportive achievements.)Mum:I used to spend a lot of time playing field hockey, good sport.Dad:Yeah, Mummy was probably playing field hockey when Herbert Hoover took office.Mum: YeahDad: Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt.Mum:MhmDad: George WashingtonChild: Abraham LincolnDad: Aristotle and Child: Thomas JeffersonMum: Yeah,even when they bombed Pearl Harbour I was.Yes. It violated the maxim of quality5. Mum: Which H-O-S-P-I-T-A-L shall we take Jimmy to?Dad The nearest one.Yes. It violated the maxim of manner.6. A: Where is Bill?B: Theres a yellow car outside Sues house.Yes. It violated the maxim of relation7. (Below is a conversation between a couple after the husband comes back from the supermarket.)Wife: I hope you bought bread and cheese.Husband: Ah, I bought the bread.Yes. It violated the maxim of quantity8. (Mary and Tina are two good friends. One day Mary went to see Tina in her office and noticed the Tina was very busy with piles of work on her table.)Mary: Whoa! Has your boss gone crazy?Tina:Lets go and get some tea.Yes. It violated the maxim of relation9. (Here is a conversation between a British and a non-British in 1960s. The British seems to worry about the current situation of the Gulf.)British: What if USSR blocks the Gulf and all the oil?Non-British: Oh, come now. Britain rules the seas.Yes. It violated the maxim of quality10. (Harry committed a social offence and had been brought to trial. His friend, Tom, asked Jack about the outcome of the trial.)Tom: How did Harry fare in court the other day?Jack: Oh, he got a fine.精选文档No. It didnt violate any maxim. 11. John is a fish.Yes. It violated the maxim of quality12. A: Where is my box of chocolates?B: The children were in your room this morning.Yes. It violated the maxim of relevance13. A: We shall all miss Bill and Mary.B: We shall all miss Bill.Yes. It violated the maxim of quantity.14. The best of 4 x 4 x far (an automobile ads.)Yes. It violated the maxim of manner.15Was Hitler going to be moderate?Yes. It violated the maxim of quality16. War is war.Yes. It violated the maxim of quantity.17. Husband: Lets give kids something to eat.Wife: Yes, but I veto C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E.Yes. It violated the maxim of mannerV. For the following sentences, you are required to identify presupposition triggers first and then give a semantic presupposition for each. (每题2分)1. The flying saucer came again.2. Janes husband went to Newcastle3. Before the child goes to school, he must finish his homework.4. If I had not had a cold, I would have gone to the shopping mall.5. What Mary lost was her purse.6. I regret having drunk Johns homebrew.7. John realized that he had made a mistake.8. Mary managed to finish in time.9. John stopped beating his child.10. John accused Bill of stealing the book11. The Prime Minister forgot to keep a record of her instructions at the time arms were exported to Italy.12. Carol is a better student than Bill.13. They returned to the place.14. Why are you late today?15. I left before he ate his cake.16. It wasnt she who took away Larrys notebook.17. The flying saucer came before.18. Tom regrets drinking Johns home brew.19. If music was the food of love, play on.20. I stopped jogging after a visit to the doctor.21. Is there a professor of linguistics at MIT?22. After he married, he became hen-pecked.23. We happened to run out of fuel.精选文档24. He saw a man with two heads.25. Nobody realised that Lily was ill.答案：1、The flying saucer came before.(again) 2、Jane has a husband.(Janes husband)3、The child goes to school. (Before) 4、I had a cold. (If )5、Mary lost something. (What Mary lost was )6、 I have drunk Johns homebrew. (regret)7、 John made a mistake. (realized)8、 Mary tried hard to finish in time. (managed)9、 John beat his child. (stop)10、 John thought that John stole a book (accuse)11、 The Prime Minister should have kept a record of her instructions at the time arms were exported to Italy.12、 Bother Carol and Bill are students.13、 They left the place.14、 You are late today.15、 He ate his cake.16、 Someone took away Larrys notebook.17、 The flying saucer came at least once.18、Tom drank Johns home brew.19、Music wasnt the food of love.20、I jogged before.21、There is either a professor of linguistics at MIT or there isnt.22、 He married.23、 We didnt expect to run out of fuel.24、 There existed a man with two heads.25、 Lily was ill.VI. Multiple Choices （每题2分）Directions: For each problem in this part, you are presented with one situation with more than one utterance underneath. Read the description of each situation with the utterances and decide which is the most appropriate utterance in that situation.1. One day, when an American lady accidentally bumped into Wei Lin.Lady: Im terribly sorry.Wei: A) It doesnt matter. B) Never mind. C) Thats all right. D) Dont worry.2. Jane is talking to her friends Bill and Pat outside the cinema.Jane: Well, what did you think of the film, then?Bill: Oh, I thought it was great. Didnt you think so, Pat?Pat: A) Well, maybe. B) No.C) Yes, in a way. But Ive seen better. D) Yes. I dare say you are right. But Ive seen better.3. At a bus stopMan: Excuse me, do you know which bus to catch for London Road, please?Woman: A) It doesnt matter. B) Oh. C) Never mind. D) Thank you(He then went to another person.)精选文档4. In a factory, Li, the guide, is interpreting for a group of foreign guests. When they have finished visiting one workshop, he would like the group to follow him to the next workshop. He says:A) This way, please. B) Come here! C) Follow me! D) Move on!5. Li had something to tell the manager, Mr Smith, so he went to his place, entering the room and said:A) Youre not busy, I hope. B) Got a minute?C) Can I have a word with you Mr Smith? D) Im terribly sorry to trouble you, Mr Smith.6. If someone gives you directions in English so quickly that you dont understand, you might respond:A) Excuse me, Im still learning the language. Could you repeat that a little more slowly?B) Thank you. I appreciate your help.C) Could you repeat that? D) Try to repeat the direction to the person.7. Hsiao Ma is an interpreter. One day a foreign visitor, Mr Brown, talks to him.Brown: Your English is quite fluent.Ma: A) Thank you. Its kind of you to say so.B) No, no, my English is poor. C) No, not at all. D) Oh, no, far from that. I still have a long way to go.8. Betty is a foreign student in China. She has met Peng Fei.B: I was told that you won the 100-meter race in the all-city track meet this morning. Congratulations!P: A) Just lucky. B) Thank you.C) I cant say I did well this morning. D) I could have done better if it hadnt been so cold.9. You are to be here by eight. The relationship between the speaker and the hearer is probablyA) teacher and student. B) husband and wife. C) sisters. D) friends.10. Your friends mother, Mrs Keeler, asked if you would like something to eat. What would you say to refuse politely?You: A) Not for the moment, thank you, Mrs Keeler, Im full. B) No, thanks. Ive just had lunch.C) Oh, no, Mrs Keeler, I havent long had lunch. D) Im full and have no room for any more.11. Mr Timms has arrived for a meeting, which, unfortunately, has been cancelled.Mrs Banks: Im terribly sorry about not letting you know sooner, Mr Timms, but unfortunately it was cancelled at the last minute and there simply wasnt enough time to inform everyone.Mr Timms: A) Oh, dont let it worry you, Mrs Banks. I quite understand.B) Oh, thats OK, Mrs Banks. I understand.C) Oh, it doesnt matter, Mrs Banks. D) Oh, dont worry about it, Mrs Banks.精选文档12. If you are attending a family gathering and would like to know what the familial relationship is between one member and another, you may ask:A) Is he your.? B) How are you related? C) Whos that woman?D) Whats the relationship between you and that woman?13. When introduced to an older professor or to a friends parents, what would you say?A) How are you? B) Hello and bow.C) Hello, its nice to meet you, and then shake hands. D) Hi! Glad to know you.14. On the way to the school cinema, Li saw Professor Blake walking to the cinema, too.Li: A) Good afternoon, Professor Blake. B) Are you going to the film?C) Where are you going? D) Youre going to the film, arent you?15. When introducing yourself to someone you dont know at a party, what would you say?A) Hi, Im . B) May I introduce myself to you and at the same time I make your acquaintance?C) Hi, Id like to meet you. D) Hi, Im . Do you know many people here?16. Jack phones Hsiao Songs office. Jack: Hello, Id like to speak to Song Hua, please.Song: A) Im Song Hua. B) This is Song Hua speaking.C) Oh, come on. Youve got time for one more cup of coffee, surely?D) Well, its still early. Theres no hurry.17. Mrs Li has been having lunch with Mrs Sullivan.Mrs Li has just explained that she has to leave.Mrs S: A) Do you really have to go, Mrs Li? Couldnt you at least stay for another cup of coffee? B) Oh, no, you cant. C) Oh, come on. Youve got time for one more cup of coffee, surely? D) Well, its still early. Theres no hurry.