Group items tagged

An important area of the field of second/foreign language teaching and learning is pragmatics -- the appropriate use of language in conducting speech acts such as apologizing, requesting, complimenting, refusing, thanking. Meaning is not just encoded in word semantics alone, but is affected by the situation, the speaker and the listener.A speech act is, according to linguist Kent Bach, "the performance of several acts at once, distinguished by different aspects of the speaker's intention: there is the act of saying something, what one does in saying it, such as requesting or promising, and how one is trying to affect one's audience". Speech acts can be broken down into 3 levels: 1. locutionary: saying something 2. illocutionary: the speaker's intent in performing the act. For example, if the locutionary act in an interaction is the question "Is there any salt?" the implied illocutionary request is "Can someone pass the salt to me?"; 3. In some instances, there's a third perlocutionary level: the act's effect on the feelings, thoughts or actions of either the speaker or the listener, e.g., inspiring, persuading or deterring. The Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at University of Minnesota provides a collection of descriptions of speech acts, as revealed through empirical research. The material is designed to help language teachers and advanced learners to be more aware of the sociocultural use of the language they are teaching or learning. These speech acts include: Apologies Complaints Compliments/Responses Greetings Invitations Refusals Requests Thanks

"You had seen a lot of chatty talk between the Clintons and the Obamas, the Carters. But when Donald Trump sat down, the greeting that he was given by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama was about as cool as it could have been." Trump's encounter with living members of the 'Presidents Club' serves as a fascinating study for those in the media and academia. From a social psychology standpoint, the cold and ignorant reactions from the former presidents and first ladies towards the current president specifically acknowledged an 'uninvited' member was intruding upon the ingroup.

Dr. Dre is the person most responsible for creating gangsta rap. Gangsta rap started on the West Coast in the mid 1980s, specifically in Los Angeles, and was inspired by the rough life of street gangs. It has been a major genre of music in the US ever since. Dr. Dre created new terms in the English language from this music genre. "Gangsta" is slang for gangster or member of a gang; "G-Funk" (or "Gangsta-Funk") is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that originated in the 1990s that includes explicit lyrics, synthesizers and samples from 1970s funk; "chronic" is a slang term for high grade marijuana; and "word to" is a greeting or compliment.

This article explains the new system created for air traffic controllers and pilots. AcListant is a system that will listen to air controllers' radio conversations to help make suggestions for commands that fit the situation. The system can filter through basic greetings like "Hello" and "Good Morning" and focus on commands instead. AcListant can help with better communication especially with pilots who speak very fast or with an accent.