Group 7

CONTEXT AND THE ROLE OF

CONTEXT IN THE
INTERPRETATION OF DISCOURSE
Welcome to our
presentation
 Meet our team

Trịnh Thị Phương Nguyễn Thị Như Phạm Thị Hải Yến
Thảo Quỳnh
 Meet our team

Nguyễn Thị Xinh Trần Thị Loan Trịnh Phương Thảo

 Table of content
Task Content

Find out at least five sentences put in different contexts

Task 1
resulting in different interpretation and analyze

Find out at least five examples and analyze the features

Task 2
of context according to Hymes.
 Task 1

Example 1 Example 3

Example 2 Example 4

Example 5
 Task 1 - Ex1
Context 1: A 9-month-old baby was playing with his
mother when, out of the blue, he stood up by
himself. Happy to the brim, the mother exclaimed "I
can't believe you did that!"
Speaker: the mother
Hearer: the baby
Place: living room
Time: at 7p.m on July 25th
 Task 1 - Ex1
Context 2: Suddenly, the girlfriend saw her three-
year lover hugging another woman. She just so
happened to be that person's best friend. "I can't
believe you did that!" the girl said as she slapped her
lover across the face.
Speaker: the girlfriend
Hearer: the boyfriend and the other girl
Place: in the Thuy Tinh water park
Time: at 4p.m on September 25th
 Explanation - Ex1
In the first context, the sentence "I can't believe you
did that!" is an expression of surprise and delight from
the mother towards her 9-month-old baby. The baby
managed to stand up by himself, which is a significant
milestone in a child's development. The mother's tone
is likely to be positive and filled with admiration,
showing her joy and pride in her child's achievement.
 Explanation - Ex1
In the second context, the sentence "I can't believe you
did that!" carries a sense of shock, disappointment,
and betrayal. The girlfriend has just witnessed her
long-term partner hugging her best friend, which has
caught her completely off guard. The exclamation
conveys her disbelief and hurt, and the follow-up
action of slapping her boyfriend indicates a strong
emotional reaction to his action.
 Task 1 - Ex2
Context 1: The teacher gives a difficult question and
asks who could answer. No one except Peter in class
raises his hand and has a perfect answer. The teacher
says: “You are very good”
Speaker: the teacher
Hearers: the students
Place: in the lecture
Time: in the afternoon in October, 2023
 Task 1 - Ex2
Context 2: The father is scolding his son beacause of
his bad behavior with older people. He angrily says
with his son “You are very good”.
Speaker: the father
Hearer: her son
Place: in the living room
Time: in the evening in October, 2023
 Explanation - Ex2
In the first case, “You are very good” is a compliment. By
contrast, in the second case, “You are very good” is a
scolding. The language does not help very much in terms of
interpreting or reading statements. We need to be in this
situation to understand the meaning of the sentence. By
context what we actually mean are the non-linguistic factors
that contribute and constrain our interpretation of discourse.
 Task 1 - Ex3
Context 1: Ann and Bill are discussing the answers to the
History test after finishing the test. Ann checks the answer
and the answer to question 9 is C, so Bill exclaims: "I
didn't do that."
Speaker: Ann
Hearer: Bill
Place: In the classroom
Time: afternoon in June 2023
 Explanation - Ex3

In the first case, the sentence "I didn't do that" shows

B's disappointment and sadness at not choosing the
correct answer in the History test.
 Task 1 - Ex3
Context 2:
Jane: Today is the day Lin is on duty
Lin : I erase the board and Kara collects rags
Jane: Do not leave the chalk with a rag, it will absorb water and the
writing on the board will become blurred.
Kara: Oh, lucky. I didn't do that
Speaker: Jane, Lin
Hearer: Kara
Place: In the classroom
Time: morning in May 2023
 Explanation - Ex3

In the second case, the sentence "I didn't do that"

shows joy because Kara complied with Lin's request
not to put chalk and wet rags together.
 Task 1 - Ex4
Context 1: They are discussing the life choices of their
mutual friend, Emily. Emily has always been known for
her adventurous spirit and her desire to explore the world.
They are reminiscing about her past and how “she left the
bank".
Speaker: The Girlfriend
Hearer: A set of friends
Place: At the coffee shop
Time: evening in May 2023
 Explanation - Ex4

In this context, the sentence "She left the bank" is explained as

Emily's decision to quit her job at the bank in pursuit of her
passion for travel and adventure. The context provides a clear
understanding of her career change and her adventurous nature.
 Task 1 - Ex4
Context 2: A group of detectives is reviewing security footage
from a recent bank robbery. They are discussing the actions of
the suspects during the heist. Detective 2 says: Wait a minute,
who's that? That woman in the background looks like ” she left
the bank”
Speaker: Detective 2
Hearers: A group of detectives
Place: Security camera room
Time: At 9 am on July 13
 Explanation - Ex4

In this context, the sentence "She left the bank" is explained as

the suspicious action of a woman during a bank robbery. It
suggests that she exited the bank while the robbery was in
progress, raising questions about her possible involvement or
unusual behavior.
 Task 1 - Ex5
Context 1:
Mother: "Hi sweetie, how was your day?"
Daughter: "It was okay, I had a lot of homework to do."
Speaker: A mother
Hearer: Her teenage daughter
Place: Their home
Time: After school
 Explanation - Ex5
In this situation, the mother is asking a typical question to her
daughter about how her school day was. The question is used as
a conversation starter to see how her daughter is doing and to
potentially discuss any issues or successes she had at school
that day.
In the first situation, it is used as a way to connect with
someone and show interest in their well-being.
 Task 1 - Ex5
Context 2:
Employer: "How was your day?"
Employee: "It was busy, I had to stay late to finish my tasks."
Speaker: An employer
Hearer: An employee
Place: An office
Time: At the end of a workday
 Explanation - Ex5
In this situation, the employer is asking the employee about
their workday and productivity. The question is used to gauge
the employee's workload and to see if they completed their
tasks efficiently. It may also be a subtle way for the employer to
check if the employee is working up to their standards.
In the second situation, it is used as a way to assess an employee's
work performance.
 Task 2

Example 1 Example 3

Example 2 Example 4

Example 5
 Task 2 - Ex1
“Well, Petunia,” said Uncle Vernon, getting heavily to his feet, “I’ll be off to the station, then.
Want to come along for the ride, Dudders?”
“No,” said Dudley, whose attention had returned to the television now that Uncle Vernon had
finished threatening Harry.
“Duddy’s got to make himself smart for his auntie,” said Aunt Petunia, smoothing Dudley’s
thick blond hair. “Mummy’s bought him a lovely new bow tie.”
Uncle Vernon clapped Dudley on his porky shoulder.
“See you in a bit, then,” he said, and he left the kitchen.
( HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN BY J.K. ROWLING)
 Explanation - Ex1
Context:
1. Addressor: Uncle Vernon
2. Addressee: Petunia
3. Audience: Dudley (indirectly), readers
4. Topic: Uncle Vernon going to the station
5. Setting: The kitchen
6. Channel: Spoken conversation
7. Code: English language
8. Message-form: Informal conversation
9. Event: Uncle Vernon leaving for the station
10. Key: Uncle Vernon's departure and invitation
11. Purpose: Informing Petunia and inviting Dudley to come along
 Task 2 - Ex2
Never tell a lie
On his deathbed, a father advised his son to always speak the truth. The son promised that
he would never tell a lie. One day, while going to the city through a forest, he got
surrounded by some robbers. One of them asked, “What do you have?” The boy
answered, “I have fifty rupees.” They searched for him but couldn’t find anything. When
they were about to go, the boy called out, “I am not telling a lie. See this fifty rupee note
which I had hidden in my shirt.” The leader of the robbers felt pleased with the
truthfulness of the boy, gave him a hundred rupees as a reward and went away.
(https://www.tuhocielts.vn/18-nhung-cau-chuyen-bang-tieng-anh-hay-nhat-tong-hop-
2020/)
Context:
Explanation - Ex2
• Addressor: The father,
• Adresss: son and robbers
• Audience: the father, the son and the robbers
• Topic: Never tell a lie
• Setting: Forest
• Channel: spoken language, between fathers and sons, sons and robbers
• Code: informal
• Message-form: Informal conversation
• Event: The son met a robber, but because the robber leader felt satisfied with the boy's
honesty, he gave the boy 100 rupees as a reward and left.
• Key: Be honest in your words
• Purpose: The boy answered the robbers honestly and was given 100 rupees by the robbers'
leader
 Task 2 - Ex3

A small talk of these old friends

 Explanation - Ex3
Context:
• Addressor: the monitor
• Addressee: the others friends
• Audience: people who are around them
• Topic: daily life, work, study, family,…
• Setting: in CỘNG Coffee and in Octorber, 2023
• Channel: by speaking
• Code: standard Vietnamses mixed with regional accent
• Message-form: a talk
• Event: reunion
• Key: an interesting chat
• Purpose: meeting and updating life
 Task 2 - Ex4
Alice: Good morning, Bob. Thank you for joining today's meeting. Let's start with your update
on the software development phase.

Bob: Good morning, Alice. The software development is progressing as planned. We've completed the
coding for Module A, and it's now in the testing phase. We're on track to meet the milestone by the end
of the month.

Alice: That's great to hear. I also want to discuss the resource allocation for the next phase. Any
challenges you foresee?

Bob: Well, we might need additional testing resources for Module B, considering the
complexity. I'll provide a resource request in the next few days.
Alice: Thanks for the heads-up, Bob. Let's ensure we have a contingency plan in place.
Context:
Explanation - Ex4
• Addressor: Alice
• Adresss: Bob.
• Audience: The primary audience is Alice and Bob, but there may be additional stakeholders or team
members involved in the project who could be considered part of the audience.
• Topic: the progress of a critical project, specifically the software development phase and resource
allocation.
• Setting: The conference room in a corporate office.
• Channel: spoken language, with Alice and Bob engaged in face-to-face dialogue
• Code: formal business language and communication norms
• Message-form: Informal conversation
• Event: a project update meeting scheduled to review the progress of a critical project.
• Key: Project success and issue identification
• Purpose: facilitate effective project management, monitor progress, discuss potential challenges,
allocate resources, and make necessary adjustments to ensure the project stays on track.
 Task 2 - Ex5
A family dinner
Family members gather around the table for a special dinner at their favorite restaurant.
Mom: "I'm so happy we could all be here together tonight. It feels like we haven't had a chance to catch up properly in a while."
Dad: "Yeah, it's been busy with work lately."
Sister: "I can't believe how much has changed since our last family dinner. I just got a new job!"
Brother: "That's awesome. Congrats! I moved into a new apartment last month, too."
Grandma: "You kids are all growing up so fast. I remember when you were just babies."
Grandpa: "Speaking of memories, I was thinking about that time we all went on a family vacation to the beach. Remember how we
spent all day playing in the sand and waves?"
Everyone starts chiming in with their favorite memories of that trip and other family vacations they've taken over the years. The
conversation is lively and filled with laughter.
Mom: "I'll never forget that amusement park we went to, where your father got stuck on the rollercoaster!"
Dad: "Hey now, let's not bring up old embarrassing memories."
The family continues to reminisce and share stories, with occasional breaks to enjoy their delicious meals.
As the evening winds down, they all agree that it's been a wonderful time spent together.
Sister: "We should do this more often."
Brother: "Definitely, maybe we can plan a trip together soon!"
Grandma: "I'd love that. The most important thing is that we always stay close as a family."
With that, they all raise their glasses in a toast to family, love, and togetherness.
 Explanation - Ex5
Context:
• Addresser/addressee: Family members
• Audience: Family members
• Topic: Family matters, memories, experiences
• Setting: Family home or restaurant
• Channel: Verbal communication, possibly with music and visual elements
• Code: Informal language and family jargon
• Message form: Unstructured, with spontaneous conversation
• Event: Family dinner
• Key: Family matters, memories, experiences
• Purpose: To bring the family together, to strengthen bonds, and to catch up
on each other's lives.
Thank
you