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PRG721S - PRAGMATICS - 1ST OPP - NOVEMBER 2025 |
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nAmlBIA unlVERSITY
OF SCIEnCE Ano TECHnOLOGY
FACULTY OF COMMERCE, HUMAN SCIENCES AND EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGES
QUALIFICATION : BACHELOR OF ENGLISH AND LINGUISTICS
QUALIFICATION CODE: 07BENL
LEVEL: 7
COURSE CODE : PRG721S
COURSE NAME: PRAGMATICS
SESSION: November 2025
TIME: 3 hours
PAPER: THEORY
MARKS: 100 %
FIRST OPPORTUNITY EXAMINATION PAPER
EXAMINER(S)
MODERATOR
Prof. Haileleul Zeleke Woldemariam
Prof. Collen Sabao
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Write clearly and neatly.
2. Number the answers clearly.
3. Read all the questions carefully before answering.
PERMISSIBLE MATERIALS
1. Question Paper
2. Answer Booklet
THIS QUESTION PAPER CONSISTS OF 1.._PAGES (INCLUDING THIS FRONT PAGE)
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General Instruction: This examination booklet contains two parts. Part One: In this section,
students are expected to write a short paragraph in line with the instructions provided. Part
Two: In this section, students are required to write an extended and analytical essay. Answer
ALL the questions. Carefully read all the questions before answering. Number your answers
clearly.
PART ONE: PARAGRAPH WRITING.................................................................(40 Marks]
THEMATIC MEANING IN PRAGMATICS
In your own words, what does "thematic meaning" signify in Pragmatics? Explaining the
term, write an explanatory paragraph and provide examples whenever applicable.
PART TWO: ESSAY WRITING .........................................................................[MARK: 60 %]
lmplicature Theory and Conversation Analysis
lmplicature Theory, coined by philosopher H.P. Grice in 1975, is a concept in Pragmatics that
explains how speakers can imply meanings beyond what is explicitly stated in an utterance.
The theory distinguishes between two main types of implicature. What does the lmplicature
Theory of Grice mean to all of us in the 2ist century? Can the theory improve everyday
conversations? Can the theory improve our daily communication systems at all? In line with
the theory, write an essay analyzing the conversation between a medical doctor and an HIV
patient. The conversation took place in the doctor's consultation room at Katutura State
Hospital, Namibia .
1. Dr Harold: Good evening, dear Mrs Hannah! I understand you've arrived to tell me about
the status of your body's garden again. How are the vines of your health growing this
year?
2. Mrs Hannah: Good evening, my respected doctor. Life is a race, and we never realize that
we are running towards nothing! Sometimes I sense like my fruits are rotten-often times
the energy drains as if the sun has hidden behind the Brand berg Mountain of Namibia.
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3. Dr Harold: That's also common among HIV patients in our own country. For this whole
year, this room has become my prison. HIV is a thunderstorm that tries to uproot your
military camp, but your immune system is the strong tree fighting to hold tight against
the aggressive wind . How have you been watering it with your medication?
4. Mrs Hannah: I try to feed the roots with my meds every day, but sometimes the branches
tremble with fear of side effects, like shadows in the evening.
5. Dr Harold: Side effects can feel like pests attacking the buds, but they usually pass if you
keep nurturing the tree faithfully. Remember, each tablet is like sunlight helping sprouts
grow stronger.
6. Mrs Hannah: I want to think my forest can flourish again, but sometimes the weeds of
doubt choke my hopes of survival.
7. Dr Harold : It's natural to feel that way. The hiking is on a long trail through the dark
woods-sometimes the path is rough, sometimes clear. But each step on this trail with
the right medicine is clearing the underbrush for your life to bloom .
8. Mrs Hannah: Does this mean my fruits can still flower, despite this storm roaring inside
on daily basis?
9. Dr Harold : Absolutely! Your spirit is the seed that holds the promise of blossoms. With
maintenance, sustenance, and flexibility as your gardener, your health can thrive like a
garden in full bloom, even after the darkest rains.
10. Mrs Hannah: Thank you, doctor. I will tend this garden with patience, watching for new
buds in the dawn.
11. Dr Harold : And I'll be here, helping you prune the branches and protect your roots.
Together, we'll nurture that garden into a flourishing landscape. Let me take some blood
counts. Follow me to the lab [Conversations end here.] She is happy as a clam.
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