Pragmatics Case Study

The study of language has been referred to a system of human communication in modern linguistics. Thus, pragmatics takes the spotlight as it studies language from the users’ point of view. It is appealing because it talks about how people make sense of each other linguistically (Yule, 1996). As stated by Crystal (2013), people make choices, they undergo constraint in using language, and they notice different effects of their language use in an act of communication. Pragmatics is fundamentally concerned with communicative action and its felicity in context, investigating action with respect to the questions of what action is, what may count as action, what action is composed of, what conditions need to be satisfied for action to be felicitous,

In these maxims, the first and the second form a pair as well as the third and the fourth. Coming to the explanation, the tact maxim focuses on the hearer. It says ‘minimize cost to other’ and ‘maximize benefit to other’. Cutting (2002) explains that the first part of this maxim fits in with Brown and Levinson’s negative politeness strategy of minimizing imposition while the second part reflects the positive politeness strategy of attending to the hearer’s interests, wants and needs. The next is maxim of generosity. It is paired with tact maxim and it says ‘minimize benefit to self’ and ‘maximize cost to self’. Thirdly, maxim of approbation is ‘minimize dispraise of other’ and ‘maximize praise of other. As he explained before, Cutting (2002) found the first part of the maxim similar to Brown and Levinson’s politeness strategy of avoiding disagreement while the second part fits in with the positive politeness strategy of making other people feel good by showing solidarity. Next, the fourth maxim is modesty which says ‘minimize praise of self’ and ‘maximize dispraise of