발화 의미와 추론

Abstract

Researches on meanings so far have focused primarily on literal meanings conveyed explicitly. However, utterance meanings have an effect on successful and efficient communication. The aim of this paper is to study how to convey and infer utterance meanings through speech acts, ironies, and metaphors. This paper also shows the effects of utterance meanings in the process of communication. The speaker delivers different utterance meanings through indirect speech acts, ironies, or metaphors. The utterance meaning does not have the literal sense and is differently implied depending on contexts. The hearer infers the utterance meaning conveyed based on contexts(physical, linguistic, or socio-cultural) and the speaker's purpose of communication. The speaker conveys utterance meanings politely to save the hearer's face(negative or positive) through indirect speech acts. The speaker also uses ironic utterances for indirect criticizing, reprimanding, requesting, suggesting, etc., which not only saves the hearer's face effectively but also fulfills the speaker's purpose of utterance. Metaphorical expressions are frequently used to deliver various utterance meanings explicitly and saliently through the mapping of abstract and concrete concepts, which brings about the hearer's easy and clear understanding of the utterance meaning conveyed. In conclusion, the utterance meaning, which is implied by the speaker and inferred by the hearer, is used as a tool of saving the hearer's face and fulfilling the speaker's purpose of communication more effectively than does the literal meaning.