Identification of the Problems Research Focus

7 Yule 2006: 112 in The Study of Language states “Communication clearly depends on not only recognizing the meaning of words in an utterance but also recognizing what speakers mean by their utterances. The study of what speakers mean, or ‘speaker meaning’, is called pragmatics”. Furthermore, Yule 2006:112 reveals pragmatics in a broader definition with four important points. First, pragmatics is defined as the study of speaker‘s meaning. It relates to the study of meaning which is communicated by a speaker or writer and then interpreted by a hearer or reader. Second, pragmatics refers to the study of contextual meaning including the interpretation of what speaker intends in a given situation and context and the way the context influences what is said by the speaker. In addition, pragmatics also considers of how speakers organize what they want to say in relation to whom they are talking to, where, when, and under what circumstances. Third, pragmatics is defined as the study which observes how the unsaid is understood as a part of what is communicated. It attempts to identify how a hearer makes assumption of what is said in order to interpret the meaning intended by the speaker. Last, pragmatics refers to the study about the relation between linguistic forms and their users. In short, pragmatics refers to the study of how language is used when communicating. It is concerned with how people speak a certain the language within a context and the reason of using the language in particular ways. 8

2. Context

Context is a vital concept in pragmatic analysis since pragmatics explores the meaning of words in a certain context or interaction and how the individuals engaged in the interaction make communication and state information more than the word they use. In other words, context provides more effects to the information than the explicit meaning that the words bear. For example, when a man says “the soup is tasteless” during a lunch, he may want someone to pass him the salt. The statement above is in line with Yule’s theory. Yule 2006:114 mentions that context refers to the physical environment where a word is employed. Meanwhile, Mey 1993: 39-40 suggests that context is beyond reference and understanding what things are about. Context allows the speaker to give a deeper meaning on their utterances. The utterance “It is a long time since we visited your father”, when spoken in a bed room by a married couple, is totally different in meaning when it is spoken by a husband to his wife while standing in front of a monkey at the zoo, since it is considered to be a joke. The example above reflects the clear case in pragmatics as the study of contextual meaning. That is why analyzing the meaning of an utterance must pay attention to the context since the meaning of an utterance will be far different if the context is different. Context will set the utterance’s interpretation.. a. Context of situation