The dynamics of Context in Meaning Construction: A Pragmatic and Functional Analysis of the Book of Esther

Abstract

This research work investigates, from a pragmatic and functional perspective, the actual feature of context in the way it could be more rightly approached in real linguistic interactions. The article starts from the traditional more commonly accepted static view of context and proceeds with the works of various scholars, namely D. Sperber and D. Wilson (2001) on the dynamic pattern of context. It springs from the data collected and analysed that context is actually a composite construct embedding altogether the context of culture, the context of situation with its register variables. It includes as well some less frequently evoked aspects such as psychological, biological, emotional, spiritual and sociological phenomena. The eclectic pragmatic/functional perspective used in a complementary gear gives way to a thorough analysis backed up by a balanced discussion that all concluded to a more often dynamic feature of the context construct, especially in real life human interactions.