Experimental Contrastive Pragmatics Using Robots

Bibliographic Data

ID21257045
AuthorsKerstin Fischer (0000-0003-1987-5344, University of Southern Denmark), Alicja Depka Prondzinska (University of Southern Denmark)
Year2020
Volume1
Issue1
Pages82-107
Publication date2020-04-03
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueContrastive Pragmatics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2666-0385 • E-ISSN: 2666-0393
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1163/26660393-bja10004
OpenAlexW3014934935
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited13

In this paper, we explore how robots can be used to study pragmatic strategies across a number of languages. Robots can assume many of the roles played by human interaction partners in a range of situations. They can be programmed to produce specific behaviours, each time repeating a behaviour in an identical way for as often as necessary. Thus, robots can be useful tools for investigating human behaviour in certain situations and even in cross-cultural contexts. We explore this use of robots in two case studies – one which investigates the delivery of bad news in Danish, German and English, and one which examines the giving of feedback in Danish, German and Polish. In both studies, systematic intercultural differences become apparent in the pragmatic strategies that are adopted. On the basis of the results, we discuss the advantages, potential pitfalls and possible solutions of using robots in the study of contrastive pragmatics

Cross-cultural · Danish · German · Human–computer interaction · Human–robot interaction · Linguistics · Pragmatics · Robot · Sociology · Computer Science · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Psychology · Artificial Intelligence

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