Assignment Linguistics and discourse analysis

1.
Identify whether the deictic expressions in the following utterances
are used gesturally, symbolically or non-deictically

1 You, you, but not you are dismissed ______________

2 I met this weird guy the other day______________
3 Lets go now rather than tomorrow______________
4 This city stinks______________
5 Now thats not what I said______________ 6 Move it from here to there______________
7 This finger hurts______________
8 What did you say? ______________
9 Hello, is Harry there? ______________
10 I did it ten years ago______________

2.
The following text was found on the back wall of an airline toilet (in an
American Airlines plane):

PLEASE USE THE TRASH CONTAINER FOR ANYTHING OTHER

THAN TOILET PAPER

What are possible interpretations of this?

What is the most likely interpretation and what is necessary to arrive at it?

3.
The following notice was found on the back wall of the mens toilet in
the Universidade
Federal de Brasilia

SEA EDUCADO, JOGUE O PAPEL NO LIXO

(Be educated, throw the paper in the waste basket)

What is the most likely interpretation here? Is the note ambiguous?

How is understanding of these contradictory messages dependent on the
context?
What does anything other in the American notice refer to?
What is the paper referred to in the Brazilian notice?
4.
Identify the respective presuppositions and classify them according to
type

1 John didnt realize that he was in debt

2 Before Strawson was even born, Frege noticed presuppositions
3 If Hannibal had only had twelve more elephants, the Romance languages
wouldnt exist now
4 John didnt see the man with two heads
5 Carter returned to power
6 It wasnt Henry that kissed Rosie
7 Fred hallucinated that he had won a billion Dollars
8 Agatha accused Ian of plagiarism

5.

Which Gricean maxims have been flouted in the following example?

A: Lets get the kids something

B: Okay, but I veto I C E C R E A M

A: Wheres Bill?
B: Theres a yellow VW outside Sues house

A: Teherans in Turkey, isnt it?

B: Yes, and Londons in Armenia

4

War is war

5
Miss Singer produced a series of sounds corresponding closely to the
score of an aria from Rigoletto

6.

Classify the following speech acts

1 Ill make him an offer he cant refuse (Mario Puzo)

2 I baptize this baby John
3 Better remain silent and be thought a fool, than open your mouth and
remove all possible doubt (Chinese proverb)
4 If Id known I was gonna live that long, Id have taken better care of
myself (Eubie Blake)
5 I came, I saw, I conquered (Julius Caesar)

7.

Identify the given pre-sequences

A: Hey, I was just ringing up to ask if you were going to Jims party
B: Yes I thought you might
A: Heh heh
B: Yey, do you need a ride?
A: Yeah thanks

A: Do you have hot chocolate?

B: mmhmm
A: Can I have hot chocolate with whipped cream?
B: Sure

A: Whatcha doin?
B: Nothin

A: Wanna drink?

A: I forgot to tell you the two best things that happened to me today.
B: Oh cool what were thy?
A: I got a B+ on my math test and Jenny invited me to her party

8.
Fill in the gaps Indicating which conditions in the chart refer to
Questioning, Warning, Promising, and Apologizing
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