King of trivia…
I was sitting in my doctor’s office this morning–routine check-up–and happened to read something interesting on a wall calendar:
Cardinals Trivia Question
Since 1900, three Cardinals players have won multiple batting crowns. Can you name them?
It struck me that this makes a perfect illustration for the interaction of several concepts I’m dealing with in my current blog essay about context in journalism.
I can answer this question! The answer is: “No, I cannot name them.”
We may discover the intention of this message in its rhetorical situation (one understanding of context). There are also numerous textual clues (e.g. the headline).
The authorial intention of an utterance and its rhetorical situation (together = illocutionary act), however, do not guarantee that the auditor will interpret it as we wish or act upon it (the perlocutionary act) as we wish. The auditor may have other intentions. Also in this case, the question is ambiguous (and obviously trivial, which makes it an excellent example).
