Chapter published in:
Current Issues in Intercultural Pragmatics
Edited by Istvan Kecskes and Stavros Assimakopoulos
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 274] 2017
► pp. 9–31

Chapter 1
Determinacy, distance and intensity in intercultural communication

An emancipatory approach

| Lancaster University

This paper seeks to make the case for a more empirical, situation-based approach to pragmatic analysis. It forms part of the recent move in pragmatics research away from the cross-cultural comparison of speech acts and neo-Gricean theoretical debates towards an analysis of real-life data based on the socio-cognitive and affective implications of inter-lingual conversational exchange. This approach is represented as ‘emancipatory’ in that it is highly contextually grounded and considers meaning from an ‘emergent’ perspective in which attempts at achieving mutual understanding are more or less effectively negotiated between participants. The notion of intention is called into question and emphasis is placed on the importance of metalinguistic commentary by interlocutors as an essential aid to interpreting transcriptions of previous exchanges. Close attention is given to linguistic features which define the attitudes and relationships between the participants: in this case, markers of ‘determinacy’, ‘distance’ and ‘intensity’.

Keywords: activity type, affect, distance, intensity, intention, relevance
Article outline
  • 1.Pragmatics’ socio-cognitive turn
    • 1.1The significant unit of conversational discourse is the ‘event’ or ‘episode’
    • 1.2Meaning is not vested in intention
    • 1.3Lexical meaning too is negotiated in context
    • 1.4Co-operation and rapport are not universal principles
    • 1.5The evidence lies in the data
  • 2.The case study
    • 2.1Methodology
    • 2.2The data
      • 2.2.1The entretien
        • 2.2.1.1Determinacy
        • 2.2.1.2Power/distance
      • 2.2.2The témoignage
        • 2.2.2.1Determinacy
        • 2.2.2.2Power/distance
        • 2.2.2.3Intensity
      • 2.2.3The Journal
        • 2.2.3.1Intensity
  • 3.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 14 June 2017
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.274.02cra
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Cited by

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No author info given
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Kecskes, Istvan
2018.  In Handbuch Pragmatik, ► pp. 140 ff. Crossref logo
Saft, Scott, Sachiko Ide & Kishiko Ueno
2021.  In The Cambridge Handbook of Sociopragmatics, ► pp. 710 ff. Crossref logo

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