phatic

phatic
adjective /ˈfætɪk/
Pertaining to words used to convey any kind of social relationship e.g polite mood, rather than meaning; for example, "How are you?" is often not a literal question but is said only as a greeting. (Similarly, a response such as "Fine" is often not an accurate answer, but merely an acknowledgement of the greeting.)

Generally speaking, statements in WE are expected to be of a tautologous nature, thus fulfilling the essential phatic nature of speech.


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  • phatic — [fat′ik] adj. [< Gr phatos, spoken (< phanai, to speak: see PHONO ) + IC] of, constituting, or given to formulistic talk or meaningless sounds that are used merely to establish social contact rather than to communicate ideas [phatic… …   English World dictionary

  • phatic — 1923, from Gk. phatos spoken, from phanai to speak, say (see FAME (Cf. fame)) + IC (Cf. ic) …   Etymology dictionary

  • Phatic — In linguistics, a phatic expression is one whose only function is to perform a social task, as opposed to conveying information. [ Malinowski, B. (1923) The Problem of Meaning in Primitive Languages”, in: Charles K. Ogden / Ian A. Richards (eds.) …   Wikipedia

  • phatic — /fat ik/, adj. denoting speech used to express or create an atmosphere of shared feelings, goodwill, or sociability rather than to impart information: phatic communion. [1923; prob. < Gk phat(ós) spoken, capable of being spoken (verbid of phánai… …   Universalium

  • phatic — /ˈfætɪk/ (say fatik) adjective of speech used to make social contact, without necessarily conveying a particular meaning: phatic communication. {Greek phatos spoken + ic} …  

  • phatic communication — noun conversational speech used to communicate sociability more than information • Syn: ↑phatic speech • Hypernyms: ↑conversation …   Useful english dictionary

  • phatic speech — noun conversational speech used to communicate sociability more than information • Syn: ↑phatic communication • Hypernyms: ↑conversation …   Useful english dictionary

  • phatic — adjective Etymology: Greek phatos, verbal of phanai to speak Date: 1922 of, relating to, or being speech used for social or emotive purposes rather than for communicating information • phatically adverb …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • phatic — See speech act …   Philosophy dictionary

  • phatic — [ fatɪk] adjective (of language) used for general social interaction rather than to convey specific meaning, e.g. nice morning, isn t it? Origin 1920s: from Gk phatos spoken or phatikos affirming …   English new terms dictionary

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