Language and Communication Theory
Meaning beyond words
Communication theory gives interpreters the vocabulary for what they already do: constructing meaning. Know semantics (word and sentence meaning), pragmatics (meaning in context), speech act theory (locution, illocution, perlocution), Gricean maxims (quantity, quality, relation, manner) and implicature, politeness and face, schema and frame theory, discourse analysis (cohesion, coherence, turn-taking, topic management), register and genre, and high- versus low-context communication. For ASL/English work, add ASL phonology (handshape, location, movement, palm orientation), morphology (compounds, classifiers, aspect), syntax (topicalization, use of space), mouth morphemes, and fingerspelling as a lexicalized resource.
Traps: assuming ASL is English on the hands; translating idioms word for word ('break a leg'); missing irony or understatement; treating a question form as always a question ('Could you open the window?' is a request); ignoring presupposition; over-literal rendering of politeness formulas; assuming directness means rudeness. Questions often ask which theory explains a mismatch, so name the concept precisely.
Worked example: 'That's a likely story' said with a smirk. Semantically it asserts probability; pragmatically it expresses disbelief. The interpreter conveys the sarcasm through nonmanual signals and lexical choice ('Yeah, sure-I totally believe that'), not by rendering 'likely story' literally. Rule of thumb: ask 'What is the speaker doing with these words?' (the speech act) before asking 'What do these words mean?'