Pragmatic Analysis of Seinfeld's the Contest
Materia
Lingüística
Paper
Pragmatic Analysis of
Seinfeld
“The Contest”
Alumno: Juan Wickenhagen
Profesora: Karen De Francesco
CAFI
2012
Index
Abstract……………………………………………………2
Introduction………………………………………………..3
Corpus……………………………………………………..4
Conclusion……………………………………………….16
Bibliography……………………………………………...17
Annex:
Seinfeld “The Contest” : Full Synopsis………………..18
Abstract
This paper focuses on the pragmatic analysis of an episode of the American sitcom “Seinfeld” called “The Contest”. In order to carry out the work several fragments were selected from the episode’s script, which were analyzed using as theoretical framework the concepts taken from the book “Pragmatics” by George Yule. The interactions of those concepts (reference and inference, presupposition, cooperation and implicature, politeness and interaction, and speech acts and events) with the fragments selected demonstrate the importance of the unsaid not only in everyday conversation but also in the creation of a sitcom.
Introduction
The present paper is mainly concerned with the pragmatic analysis of one episode of the American sitcom “Seinfeld”, focusing the work on four main related topics: reference and inference, presupposition, cooperation and implicature, politeness and interaction, and speech acts and events.
The Seinfeld episode in discussion is “The Contest”, in which the four main characters are involved in a sort of competition—in the way of a bet—in which the winner will be the one who can hold out without masturbating longer than the others. Such a topic for a sitcom needed a special care in the dialogues included in the script such as the constant use of irony, metaphors and understatements to avoid using taboo language, which also provides the comic effect to the story.
The main aim of this work is to show the importance of the unsaid in conversation—in this case the dialogues used in a sitcom—which is particularly essential in this Seinfeld episode
Lingüística
Paper
Pragmatic Analysis of
Seinfeld
“The Contest”
Alumno: Juan Wickenhagen
Profesora: Karen De Francesco
CAFI
2012
Index
Abstract……………………………………………………2
Introduction………………………………………………..3
Corpus……………………………………………………..4
Conclusion……………………………………………….16
Bibliography……………………………………………...17
Annex:
Seinfeld “The Contest” : Full Synopsis………………..18
Abstract
This paper focuses on the pragmatic analysis of an episode of the American sitcom “Seinfeld” called “The Contest”. In order to carry out the work several fragments were selected from the episode’s script, which were analyzed using as theoretical framework the concepts taken from the book “Pragmatics” by George Yule. The interactions of those concepts (reference and inference, presupposition, cooperation and implicature, politeness and interaction, and speech acts and events) with the fragments selected demonstrate the importance of the unsaid not only in everyday conversation but also in the creation of a sitcom.
Introduction
The present paper is mainly concerned with the pragmatic analysis of one episode of the American sitcom “Seinfeld”, focusing the work on four main related topics: reference and inference, presupposition, cooperation and implicature, politeness and interaction, and speech acts and events.
The Seinfeld episode in discussion is “The Contest”, in which the four main characters are involved in a sort of competition—in the way of a bet—in which the winner will be the one who can hold out without masturbating longer than the others. Such a topic for a sitcom needed a special care in the dialogues included in the script such as the constant use of irony, metaphors and understatements to avoid using taboo language, which also provides the comic effect to the story.
The main aim of this work is to show the importance of the unsaid in conversation—in this case the dialogues used in a sitcom—which is particularly essential in this Seinfeld episode
Bibliography: Yule, George. Pragmatics, Oxford University Press, 2000. Seinfeld scripts: Seinfeld, The Contest-Episode # 52 Broadcasted: November 18, 1992 for the first time. "Seinfeld" The Contest (1992): Synopsis While eating at Monk 's coffee shop, Jerry, Kramer and Elaine are met by an upset George