Current technologies are not sufficient to support the full spectrum of organizational communications because organizations are open systems and organizational communication is rather complex (e.g., involves negotiations). Speech Acts is a branch of Linguistics which views speaking to be the same as acting. Recently, Speech Acts theory has been introduced into the design of computer systems, like organizational information systems (OISs), that require complex interactions among themselves. By doing so, it is hoped that actions can be incorporated into man-machine and machine-machine communications. In this thesis, one tractable portion of the speech act theory was identified which can provide a basis for the automation of a class of semi-structured communications (e.g., simple negotiations) in a distributed organizational environment. This portion of rather abstract Linguistics theory was transformed into a concrete application layer communication protocol (namely, the SACT protocol), which was then validated using a protocol validation tool (i.e., VALIRA), specified in a standard formal specification language LOTOS, and simulated using a protocol development toolkit (i.e., the Ottawa University LOTOS Toolkit). This protocol can be used by computer-based organizational systems to automate simple negotiations, as well as recurring tasks of collecting information in an organizational environment. In addition, a communication scheme (called SACT network) was added to the Woo and Lochovsky's MOAP (Micro Organization Activity Processor) model to automate inter-micro-organizational communications using the SACT protocol. The usefulness of this scheme is demonstrated through an example application. / Science, Faculty of / Computer Science, Department of / Graduate

This empirical study examines politeness phenomena in the English of first and second language students at an academic institution. Using the theoretical framework of the CCSARP, a OCT and a qualitative questionnaire were used to analyze the speech act realizations of requests and apologies. The main objective of the study was to establish the extent of differences in the choice of speech act realizations and whether distinct patterns of speech act behaviour obtained. Findings show evidence of a difference in preference for positive and negative politeness strategies. The L2's expressed more of a concern for solidarity, than for social distance and deference, using in-group markers to signal social closeness. The L 1 's use of internal modification, in the form of downgraders, exhibited negative politeness. The frequent use of indirectness, especially hints, reflected a hesitancy to impose. Results from the investigation could have implications for enhancing cross-cultural communication. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / M.A. (Linguistics)

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research has suggested an alternative homiletical appropriation of biblical passages by utilizing the Speech Act Theory (SAT). In the light of SAT, the preached text is not to be viewed simply as the basis of timeless principles, meanings, and ideas from Scripture or as emphasizing a human experience in the modern world that serves as a re-narration of the text. Rather, the performance of the movement from text to sermon in SAT has to be considered as the performative action of the text itself. The essence of interpretation in preaching is therefore to recognize the biblical illocutionary forces (BIF) in Scripture in order to perform the perlocutionary homiletical response (PHR) in the preached text. This forms the centre of the use of preaching as a performance of the biblical text in a broken world. The study shows that the SAT is in accordance with the Reformed Confessions in their emphasis on the living Triune God, still speaking through the Scripture in the present. The Trinitarian archetype of the SAT stance is that the communicative agent is God (locution level); the communicative action is by the Son (illocution level); and the communicative result is from the Holy Spirit (perlocutionary level).According to this determinative view, the Holy Spirit is the enabler of a revealed and continuous biblical illocutionary force in the text being available on the perlocutionary level in the preached text. The Holy Spirit has continually enabled the Christian community to understand and enact the Scripture in the context of theological discernment and its practical responsibility in the modern world. The movement from text to sermon in the SAT therefore not only relates to the treble movement of the grammatical and literary structure within the text, the movement of a creative hermeneutic, the movement of the performed interpretation of the community, or a combination of all three. The three movements have to merge together in the movement of the text to the sermon, and then to the worship service, before it gets to the congregation, in the movement towards a meeting with Godin modern worlds. The homiletical triad of identity, teleology and responsibility will offer practical guidelines for promoting human dignity and generating theologically responsibility in the broken world. That is to say, the homiletical appropriation of biblical passages generate in the SAT an unexpected ethical reality through the totality of the triune God’s authoritative speech act in which the Holy Spirit gives the energy to accomplish the alternative reality. / AFRIKKANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsing stel 'n alternatiewe homiletiese aanwending van Bybelse gedeeltes voor deur gebruik te maak van die taalhandelingsteorie (SAT). In die lig van SAT, word die verkondigde teks (preek) nie bloot as die basis van tydlose beginsels, betekenis en idees uit die Skrif beskou, of as die klem op menslike ervaring van die moderne wêreld wat dien as 'n hervertelling van die teks, benader nie. Die uitvoer van die beweging van teks na preek in SAT word eerder verstaan as die performatiewe aksie van die teks self. Die essensie van interpretasie in prediking is dus die Bybelse illokusionêre kragte (BIF) in die Skrif wat die perlokutionêre homiletiese reaksie (PHR) in die verkondigde teks tot uitvoering bring. Dit vorm die middelpunt van die gebruik van die prediking as 'n uitvoering van die Bybelse teks in 'n gebroke wêreld. Die studie dui aan dat SAT in ooreenstemming is met die Gereformeerde Belydenisse in hul klem op die lewende Drie-enige God, wat steeds in die teenswoordige tyd praat deur die Skrif. Die Trinitariese argetipe van die SAT standpunt is dat die kommunikasie-agent God is (spreekwyse vlak); die kommunikatiewe aksie deur die Seun is (illokusie vlak); en die kommunikatiewe uiteinde deur die Heilige Gees bewerk word (perlokutionêre vlak). Volgens hierdie perspektief, is die Heilige Gees die bemagtiger van 'n geopenbaarde en deurlopende Bybelse illokusionêre krag in die teks, wat op die perlokusionêre vlak beskikbaar is, in die verkondigde teks. Die Heilige Gees stel voortdurend die Christelike gemeenskap in staat om die Skrif te verstaan en te implementeer in die konteks van teologiese onderskeiding en praktiese verantwoordelikheid, ook in die moderne wêreld. Die beweging van die teks tot preek in SAT hou dus nie slegs verband met die drievoudige beweging van die grammatikale en literêre struktuur binnedie teks, die beweging van 'n kreatiewe hermeneutiek en die beweging van die uitgevoerde interpretasie van die gemeenskap, of 'n kombinasie van al drie nie. Die drie bewegings moet saamsmelt in die beweging van die teks na die preek, en dan na die erediens, voordat dit die gemeente bereik, in die beweging na 'n ontmoeting met God in die moderne wêreld. Die homiletiese drietal van identiteit, teleologie en verantwoordelikheid bied praktiese riglyne vir die bevordering van menswaardigheid en die generering van teologiese verantwoordelikheid in die gebroke wêreld. Die homiletiese aanwending van Bybelse gedeeltes genereer in SAT 'n etiese werklikheid deur die totaliteit van die Drie-enige God se gesaghebbende gespreksdaad, waarin die Heilige Gees die energie gee om die alternatiewe werklikheid te bereik, honoreer word.

Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Key words: acoustic speech analysis, speech synthesis, speech perception, copulative queclarative, linguistics, psycho linguistics, human language technology This study investigates the notion of interrogativity in Xhosa as expressed in the form of Queclaratives. Queclaratives, or statements which are question-like in function, have been studied in many languages of the world. Unfortunately with regard to the Bantu languages, studies relating to interrogativity in general have largely been impressionistic in nature. This research comprised two aspects of analysis. These included an acoustic and a perceptual analysis of data. The reason for this approach is that, without this combination the results could have been considered to be suspect and lacking in authenticity. The acoustic analysis was conducted on 858 words in statement and queclarative pairs. Significant parameters were extracted and these were then statistically analyzed. The results revealed that duration on the penultimate vowel, pitch on the penultimate vowel and the overall raised pitch of queclaratives as opposed to statements were indeed the acoustically significant parameters differentiating statements from queclaratives. However as is well known, there is no one-to-one relationship between the acoustic signal and its perception and, therefore, it is imperative that such findings also be perceptually tested. The perceptual testing of these parameters was conducted in an attempt to elicit whether they were perceptually significant and also at what point in the utterance listeners could differentiate between queclaratives and statements. The next progression was the compilation of carefully designed perception tests on the acoustically significant parameters. Two experiments were compiled using stimuli that were manipulations of the original signal of one of the selected informant's utterances. These tests were administered on multimedia computers in the Language Laboratory at the University of Stellenbosch using 64 subjects for the first experiment and 63 for the second. The results of the perception tests showed that duration and pitch on the penultimate syllable are perceptually highly significant in differentiating statements from queclaratives. However the results also indicated very early recognition of the different forms with minimal speech segments from which the penultimate vowels were absent altogether. This then suggests that the perceptual judgements made earlier in the utterance may be either reinforced or overridden by the duration and pitch on the penultimate vowel. These results have assisted in the validation of some impressionistic claims made within the Bantu and other languages, while refuting others. However, as this corpus of data has included research on copulative queclaratives, it appeals for further research on this subject using any other linguistic markers. The results have also been evaluated in terms of their possible contribution to the related disciplines of psycholinguistics, linguistics and human language technologies. In so doing, the thesis makes an urgent appeal to researchers to pursue this experimental approach to language research. Another appeal is made for an awareness campaign as to the importance of this approach in harnessing the power of language for the development of language and society as a whole. The fertility of the South African society lies in its richness of multilingualism and the necessity for the improvement of the dissemination of information to all people of all languages and the improvement of communication between people in general, including those less fortunate in terms of literacy skills. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sleutelwoorde: akoestiese spraakanalise, spraaksintese, spraakpersepsie, kopulatiewe stelvraag, linguistiek, psigolinguistiek, taal-en-spraaktegnologie In hierdie projek word die aard van vraagstelling in Xhosa ondersoek met betrekking tot die stelvraag-vorm. Stelvrae, of stellings wat ook as vrae kan funksioneer, is reeds bestudeer vir heelwat wêreldtale. Oor die algemeen was studies oor vraagstelling in die Afrikatale egter grootliks impressionisties van aard. Hierdie navorsingsprojek het uit twee analisekomponente bestaan, naamlik 'n akoestiese analise van die data en 'n reeks persepsueie eksperimente. Sonder die kombinasie van die twee tipes analise sou die resultate van die navorsing minder kredietwaardig gewees het. Die akoestiese analise is gedoen op 858 woordpare bestaande uit stellings en stelvrae. Die data is statisties ontleed en die relevante parameters is onttrek. Die resultate het daarop gedui dat die duur en toonhoogte van die voorlaaste vokaal sowel as die register van die hele woord belangrike parameters is in die onderskeid tussen stellings en stelvrae. Aangesien dit wel bekend is dat daar nie 'n een-tot-een verwantskap tussen die akoestiese klanksein en die persepsie daarvan is nie, is dit noodsaaklik om ook 'n persepsueie eksperiment uit te voer. Die persepsueie toetse is so opgestel dat bepaal kon word watter akoestiese parameters ook persepsueel relevant is en om die vroegste sillabie te vind waar luisteraars reeds die onderskeid tussen die twee vorme kan maak. Die volgende stap was om stimuli vir die persepsietoetse op te stel wat inderdaad bogenoemde resultate sou lewer. Stimuli is geskep deur die spraakdata van een spreker te manipuleer. Die persepsietoetse is toe uitgevoer op multimedia-rekenaars in die Taallaboratorium van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch. Die resultate van die persepsietoetse het gewys dat die duur en toonhoogte van die voorlaaste sillabe ook persepsueel belangrik is in die ondersekeid tussen die verskillende vorme. Dit was ook duidelik dat proefpersone die vorme van mekaar kon onderskei met minimale hoeveelhede inligting waar die voorlaaste en laaste sillabes heeltemal afwesig was. Dit dui daarop dat luisteraars persepsuele besluite baie vroeg in die woord neem, maar dat hierdie besluite óf versterk óf omgekeer kan word deur die duur en toonhoogte van die voorlaaste sillabe. Die resultate van die navorsing het sekere impressionistiese stellings ten opsigte van Afrikatale ondersteun terwyl ander stellings as foutief bewys is. Een van die belangrike bevindings was dat die impressionistiese standpunt dat stellings 'n dalende intonasiekontoer en vrae 'n stygende intonasiekontoer tydens die afloop van die uiting het, 'n oorvereenvondiging is. Hierdie werk is gedoen op enkelwoord-kopulatief stelvrae en leen dit daartoe om uitgebrei te word na frases en sinne vir toekomstige navorsmg. Verder is die navorsingsresultate in verband gebring met verwante dissiplines soos psigolinguistiek, linguistiek en taal- en spraaktegnologie. 'n Pleidooi is gelewer vir 'n bewusmakingsveldtog om die belangrikheid van hierdie tipe navorsing te beklemtoon om die potensiaal van taal te benut vir die ontwikkeling van Suider-Afrikaanse tale en gemeenskappe. Die rykheid van ons gemeenskap lê in die veeltaligheid daarvan en bied besondere uitdagings om die verspreiding van inligting na alle mense van alle tale te verbeter en om die kommunikasie tussen mense in die algemeen, maar ook spesifiek vir diegene met laer vlakke van geletterdheid.

published_or_final_version / Speech and Hearing Sciences / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

陳偉昌. / 論文(哲學碩士) -- 香港中文大學硏究院哲學學部, 1996. / 參考文献 : leaf 44. / Chen Weichang. / 論文撮要 --- p.i / 本論文中援引的奧斯丁著作的縮寫 --- p.ii / 導論 --- p.1 / Chapter 第一章 --- 從實際的話語開始 --- p.4 / Chapter 第二章 --- 在約定與事實之間 --- p.18 / Chapter 第三章 --- 「意義」的蔓衍 --- p.31 / 本論文所涉及的關鍵術語的英漢對照 --- p.43 / 參考書目 --- p.44

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

No description available.

Language students must learn to communicate effectively in cross-cultural settings, avoiding unwitting violations of culturally determined norms of behavior. This study compares German learners of English ( GEs) with native speakers of English ( AEs) and German (GGs), studying pragmatic transfer associated with the face-threatening speech act of refusal. Data elicitation involved a written role-play questionnaire composed of twelve refusal situations, including four refusal stimulus types (requests, invitations, offers, and suggestions) and interlocutors of higher, lower, and equal status. Response strategies were identified and classified, and the three groups were compared in terms of frequency and content of strategies chosen. Overall, the findings suggest that the AEs strove for friction-free interactions, while the German subjects tended to be candid. The AEs opted for inoffensive, routinized responses, emphasizing face-protection, and eschewing expressions of unwillingness. The AEs generally provided only vague excuses, relying extensively on positive forms aimed at preserving rapport. Social distance affected AE levels of politeness. By contrast, GG response patterns were situation-specific. Toward unjustified requests or unwelcome suggestions, the GGs exhibited directness, outspokenness with critical remarks, and willingness to risk confrontation, regardless of relative status. In more neutral situations, status and social distance influenced levels of politeness. The GEs appeared to assess situational factors in much the same way as the GGs; however, GE responses were consistently more tempered. Both groups of Germans were more open with expressions of unwillingness than the AEs. They tended to provide solid justification for refusals, while maintaining a more aloof stance. When there was no cause for irritation, the GEs recognized the need for greater tactfulness in English (probably responding according to explicit teaching). When aggravated, however, they lapsed into pragmatic patterns of their native language, following their "gut reactions." Sometimes GE efforts to exceed German native speaker levels of politeness led to "hyper-correction" (i.e., going beyond the AEs' degree of politeness).Occasionally, the GEs transferred German native speaker strategies for increasing politeness. In situations of potential conflict, the GEs might startle native speakers with unexpected candor, the shock exacerbated by cultural proximity and the GEs' near approach of native speaker norms on other levels.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006.