4 Meaning in Context Online Quiz Questions

True or false: Context can help listeners determine what a speaker means by expressions such as “here” and “you.”

A speaker says, “It’s cold in here,” while an open window is beside the listener. Which interpretation best accounts for the utterance?

In response to “Are you coming to the meeting?”, B says, “I have a dentist appointment.” What is the technical term for the likely, indirectly conveyed meaning that B will miss the meeting?

Which features can form part of the context listeners use to interpret an utterance? Select all correct choices.

A listener feels reassured after someone says, “I’ll send the report tonight.” In speech act theory, what is the listener’s reassurance an example of?

True or false: If someone answers a meeting invitation by saying, “I have a dentist appointment,” it is impossible for them to add, “but I’ll come afterward,” without contradicting their first statement.

Which language choices can signal identity or social relationships? Select all correct choices.

What term does one influential account use for the socially valued self-image people seek to maintain?

Two people use different forms to ask someone to close a door. Which principle best explains why one form might sound considerate in one situation but abrupt in another?

At a meal, a guest asks a host, “Could you pass the salt?” Explain how the utterance’s grammatical form can differ from its intended action. Then identify and explain two distinct contextual or social factors that could affect whether the request sounds considerate.

True or false: Grice’s conversational guidelines are rigid rules, so a speaker who appears to depart from one cannot use that departure to create an implication.

Someone says, “I’ll send the report tonight.” Which statement best describes what matters when interpreting this utterance as a promise?

At a crowded outdoor event, someone points and says, “Put that over there.” Which contextual information most directly helps a listener determine what “that” and “there” refer to?

At dinner, a guest asks, “Could you pass the salt?” The guest is asking about the other person’s ability, but intends to get the salt. Which description best fits how the utterance functions?

In speech act theory, what is the term for producing an utterance with particular linguistic content, considered apart from the action performed in saying it or its effects on a listener?

A asks, “Are you coming to the meeting?” B replies, “I have a dentist appointment.” What is A most plausibly able to infer, even though B has not stated it directly?

A colleague asks whether a report is ready. You answer, “The printer has run out of paper,” intending this to explain why the report is not ready. Which of Grice’s four conversational guidelines is most directly involved? Enter its name as a single word.

A person says “Close the door” to a close friend but uses “Would you mind closing the door?” with a new colleague. Which conclusion about the politeness of these requests is best supported?