Pragmatic interpretation of speaker meanings: a case study of Implicatures in Kenya television network's 'newsline' Programme

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigated pragmatic mechanisms that underlie interpretation of speaker-intended meanings in KTN's, 'Newsline' program. As an agent of ideology television perpetuates the interests and values of those in power. Yet as a cultural commodity its audiences engage with media material using and defining meaning in terms of their own value and reality systems. Thus the speaker is not always certain that the audience that participates in the communication process will interpret and understand the intended message. Discrepancies often arise between what is said and the message conveyed by uttering specific words. The study therefore investigated implicatures, in KTN's 'Newsline' so as to determine how audiences arrive at interpretations, pragmatically. The study had three objectives, that is, to: identify and describe implicatures and related aspects of context; to analyze implicatures within the Gricean CP and maxims and finally, to establish viewers' opinions about aspects of effective communication, namely, clarity, rhetorical strategies and relevance during selected episodes of 'Newsline'. The study adopted Grice's (1975) theory of implicature in which he proposes that speaker's meaning is a type of intention that the speaker discharges cooperatively with the addressee. It employed a case study design. The study sample consisted of 10 episodes of 'Newsline'. Data was collected between January and December 2007 from episodes of 'Newsline' through non-participant observation and face-to-face interviews with regular viewers. 'Newsline' was a discussion program that was selected purposively because of its dialogic structure, interpersonal mode of communication and content, that is, discussions on topical issues. Corpora obtained through audio-visual recording were transcribed and analyzed qualitatively. Interview schedules were availed to guide the interv~ewprocess. The study concluded that discourse in 'Newsline' is replete with implicatures because interlocutors infer meaning whenever they sense that information is conveyed implicitly. This is part of the cooperative role that both the speaker and hearer play in assigning speaker's meaning. The CP and its maxims together with other aspects of context such as shared background knowledge regulate this process of interpretation. This study contributes to linguistics by showing the application of the tenets of Grice's (1975) CP and maxims In interpretation of speaker-intended meanings in television discourse. It also sensitizes TV program presenters/hosts to moderate discussions firmly so as to ensure objective and meaningful discussions for the benefit of their audiences.