Example of the word context

When people use language, their words exist in a specific environment, a unique context that plays a role in shaping their meaning. Factors like social norms and cultural beliefs impact how speakers and writers use language and how those around them interpret it. Variables such as where we use certain words and how we communicate them also shape our understanding. The context people use in language is thus critical to understanding the meaning of speech and writing.

Meaning of Context in the English Language

In English, the word context refers to the circumstances surrounding language that shape its meaning. The term encompasses physical setting, historical background, and political and socioeconomic factors connected to how people use words.

Context in Writing

Context, context, context.

Written context refers to the circumstances in which a text is situated.

For instance, this includes the time period in which the author wrote the text and the social and political forces that impacted the text. Understanding a text’s context helps readers understand its meaning.

For example, if a reader is analyzing George Orwell’s book 1984 (1949), they have to consider what was going on in the place and time it was written: the United Kingdom in 1949. During this time, there was widespread social anxiety about the threat of totalitarianism and technological developments. These social fears shaped George Orwell’s ideas regarding what the world would look like in the future and led to his novel about a surveilled dystopian society.

Context in Speaking

There’s another kind of context, though.

Spoken context refers to the circumstances in which the speech takes place.

The context includes the speaker’s physical setting, the surrounding culture, and social circumstances. The context of speech influences how listeners understand what is said.

For example, imagine a woman who wants to break up with her long-time boyfriend. If she chooses to have this important conversation at a loud party, he might not understand the severity of the situation. However, if she sits him down when they are alone in a quiet place, he might realize more quickly that she is serious.

Another famous example of how a speech’s context impacts its meaning is Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 «I Have a Dream» speech. When analyzing the meaning and significance of this speech, people have to consider the importance of its context: the March on Washington. This march was a large protest in which 250,000 people met in Washington, DC, to resist racial segregation. King gave his speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial, where there is a statue of Abraham Lincoln, the president whose leadership paved the way for the end of slavery. Understanding the historical significance of the speech’s location and the social pressures of King’s time all shape a listener’s understanding of his words.

MLK delivered his 1963 «I Have Dream Speech» in front of the Lincoln Memorial. This situational context prompts reflection on the historical context of Lincoln’s work for racial equality.

Types of Context in Language

The main types of context in language are historical context, sociocultural context, and situational context.

Historical Context

Everything has a historical context.

Historical context refers to the time and place where a text was written.

It includes the defining circumstances of a historical period, such as how people behaved and what they believed during that time.

For instance, Ernest Hemingway wrote his novel The Sun Also Rises (1926) in the 1920s. The book is about the disillusionment among his post-World War I generation, particularly those who, like him, moved away from the United States to Europe. The characters are cynical, restless, and struggle to find meaning in anything around them. To understand the implications of their behavior, readers have to consider how WWI’s brutal historical context changed people’s views on life. Knowing this context helps readers understand why the characters struggle to find a purpose.

Sometimes writers set their fiction stories in a different time period than their own. When analyzing such fiction, try to analyze both historical contexts!

Sociocultural Context

Society and culture influence many aspects of human behavior, from how people dress and dance to how they speak and exchange ideas.

In language, sociocultural context is how words connect to their surrounding society and culture.

Understanding how cultural values inform writing or speech is critical to understanding their meaning.

For example, Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden (1854) is about his experience retreating to a secluded cabin in the woods. In the text, Thoreau emphasizes the importance of finding meaning in the natural world. He wrote this book in the United States in the 1850s, a time of widespread industrialization when the social value of progress and technological expansion was increasing. Readers who take this sociocultural context into account when analyzing Walden can understand what shaped Thoreau’s values and why he communicated them to his reader.

It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between a text’s historical and cultural contexts. While sociocultural context can be connected to historical context, the former encompasses values and behaviors that may exist regardless of the time period. For example, the value of family has been a key aspect of culture in the Southern United States for many years. A text written or set in the American South would have that value embedded in its sociocultural context, no matter its historical context.

Consider what your current sociocultural context is. How does the culture you live in inform how you communicate and write?

Thoreau advocated for a retreat to nature like this one in a social context that valued progress and industrial expansion.

Situational Context in the English Language

Another type of context is situational context.

Situational context refers to the circumstances of a situation that shape the language within it.

For instance, imagine someone is giving a speech in front of their entire school. They might rush their words more than they would in front of just their close friends because they are nervous about public speaking. The speed of the speech could then changes how listeners perceive its meaning. This shows how being in a particular situation can impact how one uses language and how others interpret it.

Examples of Context

Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 «Letter from Birmingham Jail» demonstrates the importance of context. In this letter, King responds to eight Birmingham clergymen who published a newspaper article critiquing his demonstrations against racial segregation. This historical context is important because it helps readers understand King’s intended audience and what ideas he aimed to address.

King delivers the powerful line in this letter: «Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.»

Another example of the role of context is evident in Lorainne Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun (1959). The play is about a working-class African American family who lives in Chicago, Illinois, in the 1950s. They are expecting inheritance money, and each family member has a distinct dream of what to do with it. Their dreams are shaped in part by their sociocultural context.

For instance, the family lives in a patriarchal society in which men are pressured to provide for their families. These social pressures are a key aspect of the oldest son, Walter Lee Younger’s sociocultural context, and they impact how he acts and what he represents in the play. He is determined to make a lot of money fast to provide for his family, and he risks everything to do it. The stress of the pressure also takes a toll on his self-esteem and relationships with others.

Understanding the role of his sociocultural context helps the audience learn about the impact of patriarchal expectations in familial relations.

Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do’s and don’ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.

What is the use of context?

Context helps readers understand what they otherwise wouldn’t be able to comprehend. It is a much-needed assistant, helping readers define unknown words and make sense of outside information. In writing, it is often necessary to provide new words, concepts and information to help develop a thought.

Why is context important?

Context is not only important for meaning. … Context is importance because it helps you connect and create a relationship with the reader. It helps you communicate your point of view clearly making it easier to understand. It allows you and others to be more creative.

How do you use the word context?

«Use words in the correct context.» «It is only done in a certain context.» «The movie was made in a modern context.» «It is easier to understand in its present context.»

How do you provide context?

3 Tips for Providing Context in Your Writing

How do you find the meaning of context?

The following can help you get the meaning of a new word:

What is difference between context and content?

Content is the material/matter/medium contained within the work that’s available for audience. Context is the positioning of the content, storyline or purpose that provides value to the audience. … Context isn’t just about the storyline, it is also about the intent of the content itself.

What is context and its types?

In writing, context refers to information that helps readers accurately interpret the meaning of a text. Context can take many forms, including background information or details about the circumstances, environment, or timeframe in which a work takes place.

What is context in a sentence?

WHAT IS A CONTEXT SENTENCE? A context sentence is one that gives a word and its meaning in the same sentence. Example: The answering machine message was so inane that I could not get any meaning from it. Inane is the word; could not get any meaning is the meaning.

What are 4 types of context clues?

Four Types of Context Clues

What is an example of context in literature?

Examples of Context: To fully understand the plot of a story set during the Civil War, the reader must understand something about the context, or something about the Civil War and how it affected families in the United States.

What is an example of social context?

Social context can influence how someone perceives something. … For example, a person who is trying a new food in an unwelcoming or harsh environment might perceive the food as tasting bad and not like it in the future.

What are synonyms for context?

Synonyms of context

What does adding context mean?

If something is seen in context or if it is put into context, it is considered together with all the factors that relate to it.

What is the importance of context in communication?

We put that communication in context. Context is critical, because it tells you, the receiver, what importance to place on something, what assumptions to draw (or not) about what is being communicated, and most importantly, it puts meaning into the message.

How do you teach words in context?

Words in Context: Effective Strategies for Teaching New…

What is the context of our life?

Context as a viewpoint: Details about yourself, character, life-changing events, perspectives, intentions, fears, threats, social identity, worldviews, and frames of reference all matter.

What is context in communication example?

CLASS. Each type and instance of communication will have a specific context. Communication context will, for example, be different for a television broadcaster than for a door-to-door salesperson. A communications context can be thought of as the environment or human eco-system, in which communication takes place.

What is the role of context in interpretation?

 A process of inference to arrive at an interpretation for utterances or for the connection between utterances. … It may be the case that we are capable of deriving a specific conclusion from specific premises.

What is difference between context and activity?

2 Answers. An Application context lasts, as long as your app is alive, while the Activity context dies with your Activity (it is not valid after onDestroy of that Activity). So if you need the Context across Activities (i.e. in a Singleton) you will be better off using an Application context.

How do you write a context essay?

Academic writing: Context is everything

- контекст

out of context — в отрыве от контекста 

- ситуация; среда, окружение

in this context — в данном случае; при этом условии; в этой связи 
in the context of — в связи с; применительно к; с учётом; с точки зрения 
in the context of today’s America — в условиях современной Америки 

Мои примеры

His comments, taken out of context, seem harsh. 

Его высказывания, вырванные из контекста, кажутся резкими.

This small battle is very important in the context of Scottish history. 

Это небольшое сражение было очень важным в контексте шотландской истории.

The statistics are not very meaningful when taken out of context. 

Статистические данные не очень осмысленны, когда они вырваны из контекста.

We need to consider these events in context. 

Мы должны рассматривать эти события в их историческом контексте.

Don’t distort her meaning by taking her words out of context. 

Не искажайте смысл её слов, вырывая их из контекста.

It is important to look at the novel in its historical context. 

Важно рассматривать этот роман в его историческом контексте.

This debate should be set in an international context. 

Эти дебаты должны быть проведены на международном уровне.

ещё 15 примеров свернуть

…the otherwise anodyne comments sounded quite inflammatory when taken out of context…  

The women have the opportunity to situate their own struggles in a wider historical context.  

…taking that statement completely out of context essentially falsifies it, whether that’s your intention or not…  

Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.

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