Functions of Cognitive Context in Utterance Understanding

卢胡卓越 李美涵

【Abstract】Utterance understanding is a two-way activity which includes the generation and reception of information，in the process of utterance understanding，cognitive context functions utterance understanding from three aspects.

【Key Words】Context； Utterance Understanding； Functions

Utterance understanding is a two-way activity which includes the generation and reception of information.Context is an indispensable factor which influences the generation and reception of utterances.Utterance understanding always occurs in particular context.Utterances always deliver and receive in a special environment，meanwhile context is always associated with environment.Although it is difficult to make a satisfied definition for context，linguists have been trying to define it from various perspectives，and some of them proposed own theories on context.

Context was first put forward in 1923 by B.Malinowski.He put forward “context of situation” in his article The Problem of Meaning in Primitive Language ，Malinowski stressed the need to interpret speech in its context of situation like this：“exactly as in the reality of spoken or written languages，a word without linguistic context is a mere figment and stands for nothing by itself，so in the reality of a spoken living tongue，the utterance has no meaning except in the context of situation”.Halliday offered an abstract interpretation of context ‘register and pointed that register included field，tenor and mode，which are realized by means of the three mate-function，namely，interpersonal function，ideational function，and textual function.

Utterance understanding has become an important concept which has the theoretical and practical significance in linguistic study.Austin initially put forward Speech Act Theory，and Searle systematized it and formulated his indirect speech acts theory.Searle thought that the use of language is like the social activity which is an intent action，but restricted by rules.Cognition and utterance understanding are dependent on the context and cognitive psychology.

Speaker and hearer have a common purpose of conveying the communication intention to each other during the communication.Because language has incompleteness property，the speakers intention may not be gone right，then the hearer needs to make use of their knowledge and deduce the utterance meaning.Cognitive context functions utterance understanding from several aspects.

Firstly，cognitive context restricts utterance expression and understanding，and it can regulate communicators speech act.Utterance understanding is closely tied to the communicators thinking activity，they are interrelated and interacted.Different people have different understanding for the same utterance.The main reason is the communicators different cognition which restricts utterance understanding.

Secondly，cognitive context interpret utterance understanding.Utterance understanding is an inferential process.Communicators，according to the new information or assumption，continue to select the optimal relevance assumption in the cognitive context and acquire the truth utterance meaning.During the process of inference，the hearer deals with the new information and acquires the context effect by a series of assumption，which is provided by the speaker.At last，the implication of context is deduced and utterance meaning is acquired.

Thirdly，cognitive context has the function of filtration and addition in utterance understanding.This function avoids the utterance redundancy and adds assumption information in among communicator.Sometimes we can find some ambiguous word which are redundant information.We can avoid the redundant information by means of context and get the need information.Cognitive context can enhance the contextual effects.

Utterance depends on concrete context rather than being isolated.The functions cognitive context work play an indispensible role in utterance understanding.Therefore， communicators should make good use of cognitive context to reduce the misunderstanding and make the communication more smoothly.

Reference：

[1]Malinowski，B.The Problems of Meaning in Primitive Language[A].In C.K.Ogden & A.Rchards.The Meaning of Meaning[C].New York：Harcourt，Brace and World，1923：307.

[2]Halliday，M.A.K.System and Function in Language[M].Oxford：Oxford University Press，1976.

[3]Austin，J.L.How to Do Things with Words[M].Cambridge： Harvard University Press，1962.

[4]Seale，J，R.Speech Act[M].London：Cambridge University Press，1969.