Thursday, May 01, 2008

Gricean Maxims and Politeness

Hello Everybody,

We have studied Gricean Maxims and Politeness Strategies this week. Here's your assignment of the week.

1. Note down all the "Speech Events" you have experienced during the week, (from wednesday to wednesday let's say, or etc.)
2. a)Analyze your own speech contributions according to Grice's Maxims. (if you are behaving according to the maxims or you violate them, and what are the concequences, choose to write about at least 5 conversations to examplify)
b) In what kind of situations are you more polite, and why do you think this is so? (situation names and reasons, at least 4 examples, please.)

3. You have 2 weeks to complete this work.

I hope you enjoy it while doing,

Tuncer Can

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Mid Term Questions of Previous Years

Introduction to Linguistics II, Mid-Term, 1.12.2006

1) What is the significance of learning “Discourse Analysis” and “Pragmatics” in our Department? How do you think you can make use of this perspective in your prospective classes? Answer this question by considering other courses that you’ve taken and you still are.(30 p)

2) How can you prove that language is not a system but action? Explain this fact by giving real examples from your own life. (30 p)

3) Analyze the following dialogue according to “Gricean Maxims”, “The Script Theory” and Sinclair and Coulthard’s theory on “Discourse of a Class”. (40 p)


T: Any questions? Do you understand everything?
Ss: Š (no one responds)
T: Okay, how many people were speaking?
Ss: Š (no response)
T: How many people were speaking?
Ss: Š (no response)
T: There were two. Two people. Were they friends or strangers?
Ss: Š (no response)Š

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

The Speech Events and the Script Theory

Hi Everyone,

This week we studied "Speech Events", the "Script Theory" and the "Moves". Here's your homework:
Specify a Speech Event and write the script for it.

Remember the "Script of a Ramadan Visit"
Greeting (high pitch)
Welcoming (high pitch)
Seating (high pitch)
Greeting (higher pitch)
Opening (money, children)
Topic Introduction (the silliest topics, laughs)
Topic Extension (insincere, positive)
Serving and Eating
Topic Change (positive:old bayrams) (higher pitch)
Agreeing
Topic Variation (positive: business, children) (higher pitch)
Agreeing
Compliment (highest pitch)
Acknowledge (agree, deny, redirect focus)/acceptance/downgrade the compliment
Preclosing
Closing

However, NO TWO students can work on the SAME speech event, I mean everyone should find a genuine example of a speech event.

Good Luck,

Tuncer Can

Speech Act Theory

Hi All,

This week we studied the "Speech Act Theory". This week's homework consists of three parts.
1. Visit this webpage and do the exercise:
http://www.ugr.es/~inped/module10/hot_mod10/quiz1_1.htm
2. Find examples (sentences) for the following "Speech Acts" from TV Serials, Theatre Plays, Signs etc. (You might not find examples for each one, nevertheless think beyond sentence.)

Constatives: affirming, alleging, announcing, answering, attributing, claiming, classifying, concurring, confirming, conjecturing, denying, disagreeing, disclosing, disputing, identifying, informing, insisting, predicting, ranking, reporting, stating, stipulating
Directives: asking, begging, challenging, commanding, daring, inviting, insist, request. advising, admonishing, asking, begging, dismissing, excusing, forbidding, instructing, ordering, permitting, requesting, requiring, suggesting, urging, warning
Commissives: guaranteeing, pledging, promising, swearing, vowing, undertaking, warranting, agreeing, guaranteeing, inviting, offering, promising, swearing, volunteering
Acknowledgments: apologizing, condoling, congratulating, greeting, thanking, accepting (acknowledging an acknowledgment)
Representatives: affirm, believe, conclude, deny, report
Expressives: apologize, appreciate, congratulate, deplore, detest, regret, thank, welcome.
Declarations: I now pronounce you man and wife, I sentence you to be hanged by the neck until you be dead, I name this ship...

3. Answer the following question? What kind of a Speech Act is this homework's text? (What do I want/intend to achieve by putting all this language together?)

"I wish you and your family a very good holiday." (specify the speech act in this sentence)

Tuncer Can

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The Art of Language or The Language of Art, and Discourse

Hi All,
This week we studied "Discourse Analysis". Here's your homework: You have 2 weeks to complete your assignment.

1. Visit an art museum (Istanbul Modern Art Museum, Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Pera Art Museum, etc.)

2. Tell us which exhibition you visited. Analyze the artists' language. Try to explain how the artists are expressing the meaning without using a verbal or non-verbal language. Are they any successful and how they succeed to express the meanings they have in their mind? Exemplify by artists' and their works' names.

3. Post your comments to our blogger.

İstanbul Modern Art Museum (free-admission on Thursdays) (in Tophane)http://www.istanbulmodern.org/tr/f_index.html

Sakıp Sabancı Art Museum (in Emirgan)
http://muze.sabanciuniv.edu/

Pera Art Museum (in Taksim)
http://www.peramuzesi.org.tr/

Good Luck,

tuncer can

Friday, January 18, 2008

Write A Review

Hi All,

Please write a review so that next year students can read and know what to expect from this class.

Thank You,

Tuncer Can