Textual Analysis Of A Situational Language

The purpose of language is to communicate. In order to successfully do this, a language has to be understood and interpreted in the right way. This can only be done with proper knowledge of situational factors. A single statement does not necessarily mean anything without there being a question leading up to it. A conversation between two people does not necessarily make sense without any knowledge about the participants or the topic of conversation. Many factors influence how a situation is perceived and interpreted, as shown in the following example of a communicative event.

After landing at the airport in Aberdeen, a woman has to approach the lost luggage counter since she did not get her suitcase. She is approximately 40 years in age and seems stressed from the previous flight. Her flight was delayed and many passengers have the same problem and are all queuing when she approaches the desk. Since she is in front of the queue most bystanders are looking in her direction.
The lady at the counter greets the passenger with a friendly, ‘Good morning, how may I help you?’ while already getting …show more content…
While it is clear that she wants her suitcase back from the beginning of the conversation, it only is evident after this last statement that she is definitely not satisfied with the airlines’ service.

The example of the conversation in the airport shows how important it is to be aware of the context of a situation. It is obvious how not only the setting and the participants influence a conversation, but also cultural norms as well as shared knowledge. Nonverbal communication is also very important in understanding a situation. Not having any knowledge about the context can, therefore, easily lead to miscommunication. This demonstrates how amazing it is that it seems effortless for us to have a conversation, when we have to consider and interpret so many things at