L720: Ethnopragmatics (4 cr)
Instructor: S. Obeng
T 4:00-6:30P
BH 139
Section 2912

Requirements: LING L520 or equivalent.

Description:
The course explores language use which relies on ethnography to
shed light on the ways in which speech is both constituted and
constitutive of social interaction. We shall explores why members of a
speech community say they do things and the linguistic categories and
communication contexts meaningful or culturally significant to them.
Specifically, we shall examine the role of different formal linguistic
features (grammatical, phonetic-phonological, morphological etc.) in
different socio-cultural practices by connecting phonetic, phonological,
morphological and grammatical forms to speech acts, events, speech
community, society, etc..
An important component of the course is an examination of the
different methods of ethnopragmatic research, especially data collection
techniques (participant observation and recording of spontaneous
indigenous interactions) and analytical procedures or analytical
discussions of the forms and contents of language as a social activity.
Important topics to be dealt with include but is not restricted to
conversational routines (rituals) like greetings, address patterns,
compliments, apologies, requests, dispute settlements (juridical
discourse), negotiation, political discourse, etc..
Other communication patterns to be explored include functions of
talk, attitudes about speakers and languages; roles (sex, age, social
status, educational level, rural-urban residence, geographic region,
features of social organization, and occupation), and politeness
phenomena. In studying the above routines, we will examine speaker-intent
(expression) and effect on addressees, as well as addressees
interpretation(s) and also the relevance of extra-linguistic contextual
features for interpretation of specific linguistic forms and for
understanding what linguistic forms contribute to social [including
political and juridical] life.