What makes some seemingly meaningless sentences frequently useful in the daily communication and thus meaningful? This paper proposes an innovative perspective of studying pragmatic meaning via considering the language users’ viewpoint, which influences and determines the extent of subjectivity in choosing appropriate meaning among multiple layers of meaning. It is argued that viewpoint makes vague or even meaningless language meaningful in that meaning is, first of all, multilayered; then it is optional and subjective, and finally it is chosen from all the possible options of meaning or meaning potential with regard to the language user’s various kinds of viewpoints.
References
[1]
Caffarel, A. (2006). Learning Advanced French through SFL. In H. Byrnes (Ed.), Advanced Language Learning: The Contribution of Halliday and Vygotsky (pp.204-24). London: Continuum.
[2]
Caffarel, A. (2010). Systemic Functional Grammar and the Study of Meaning. In B. Heine, & H. Narrog (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Analysis (pp. 797-825). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[3]
Dancygier, B., & Sweetser, E. (2012). Viewpoint in Language: A Multimodal Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https:/doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139084727
[4]
Eggins, S. (2004). An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics (2nd ed.). London: Continuum.
[5]
Enfield, N. J. (2015). The Utility of Meaning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[6]
Ferrari, L., & Sweetser, E. (2012). Subjectivity and Upwards Projection in Mental Space Structure. In B. Dancygier, & E. Sweetser (Eds.), Viewpoint in Language: A Multimodal Perspective (pp. 47-68). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
https:/doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139084727.005
[7]
Halliday, M. A. K. (1978). Language as Social Semiotic. London: Edward Arnold.
[8]
Halliday, M. A. K. (1992). How Do You Mean? In M. Davies, & L. Ravelli (Eds.), Advances in Systemic Linguistics: Recent Theory and Practice (pp. 20-35). London: Pinter Publishers.
[9]
Halliday, M. A. K. (1994). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Edward Arnold.
[10]
Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2004). An Introduction to Functional Grammar (3rd ed.). London: Arnold.
[11]
Langacker, R. W. (2008). Cognitive Grammar: A Basic Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. https:/doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331967.001.0001
[12]
Löbner, S. (2002). Understanding Semantics. London: Hodder Arnold.
[13]
Löbner, S. (2013). Understanding Semantics (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
[14]
Lyons, J. (1977). Semantics (Vol. 1). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[15]
Narayan, S. (2012). Maybe What It Means Is He Actually Got the Spot: Physical and Cognitive Viewpoint in a Gesture Study. In B. Dancygier, & E. Sweetser (Eds.), Viewpoint in Language: A Multimodal Perspective (pp. 113-135). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
https:/doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139084727.009
[16]
Riemer, N. (2005). The Semantics of Polysemy: Reading Meaning in English and Warlpiri. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.