Introducing English Linguistics

Self-study activities
1. Match the construction in the left-hand column with the speech act with
which it is associated in the right-hand column.
(1) The English language 
a. Assertive/Representative
originated in England
(2) I promise to do the work
b. Directive
(3) I hereby declare the 
c. Commissive
meeting open
(4) Don’t take too long
d. Declaration
(5) I’m sorry I broke the glass
e. Expressive
2. Distinguish the grammatical meaning of I wouldn’t mind another glass of
wine from its pragmatic meaning. In discussing the pragmatic meaning of
the statement, briefly describe a context in which the statement would be
likely to occur.
3. Which expressions in the conversation below are utterances? Which are
grammatically well formed sentences? Explain your choices.
Speaker A: I really like chocolate ice cream.
Speaker B: Me too. My second favorite flavor is vanilla.
Speaker A: I don’t care for vanilla. Too tasteless, in my opinion.
Speaker B: Really? I think it has great taste.
4. Discuss whether the speech acts listed below would be direct or indirect.
(1) A teacher says to her students: “Please leave your papers on my desk.”
(2) One person saying to another sitting next to an open door leading to the
backyard of a house: “Lots of mosquitoes are getting into the house.”
(3) A son says to his mother: “I’ll take out the garbage later.”
(4) A guest at a dinner party says to another guest during dinner, “Could
you please pass the butter?”
5. Two speakers (Fred and Hazel) are gossiping about a third person
(Christine). Fred says: “Christine is always late for work. I think she’s going
to get fired. She’s a totally irresponsible worker.” Noticing that Christine is
approaching and that Fred doesn’t realize this, Hazel comments: “Do you
think it will rain later today?”
(a) Which of the maxims of the cooperative principle (quantity, relation,
manner, and quality) has Hazel violated?
(b) What is the conversational implicature of this violation? That is, what
additional information is Fred likely to read into Hazel’s utterance?
6. Discuss how the conventions of formal written English require writers to
adhere to Grice’s maxims of the cooperative principle.
7. In the conversation below, a library patron has brought to the circulation
desk in a library newspapers that were addressed to the library and had
been taken outside the library against library policy. Discuss the extent to
which the patron and library worker follow or do not follow Leech’s
(1983) principles of politeness.
Library Patron: I found these newspapers in the administration
building. They’re addressed to the library, so I
thought they must be yours.
Library Worker: Well, if you have the time, you could take them up
to the 4th floor, or you could just leave them here.
Library Patron: You can throw them out for all I care.
8. A father says to his child: “Put your toys away now!”
(a) Would the child and father be equals or disparates?
(b) Has the father violated any of the maxims of the politeness principle?
9. Why are younger speakers more likely to use slang than older speakers?

---

78
INTRODUCING ENGLISH LINGUISTICS