Pragmatic is a philosophical approach to language and meaning. It goes beyond the literal meaning of words and sentences, to take into account social, cultural, and situational context. This is what makes it different from semantics, which deals with word meanings in a strictly dictionary definition.
It was developed by Chauncey Wright (1830-1875), Oliver Wendell Holmes (1841-1935), and Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) in the early 1870s. Their informal discussions were held in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They are considered to be the first self-conscious pragmatists.
The idea behind pragmatism is that people make their own sense of the world. Then, they act in ways that work best for them. They use the resources that are available to them. This way, they are able to create positive outcomes. People who are pragmatic tend to be good problem solvers. They also are good communicators.
Developing pragmatic skills is an essential part of a grade 9 student’s English education. This can be done through a variety of teaching strategies and activities.
One of the most obvious ways to teach pragmatics is by demonstrating examples in class. This can be as simple as showing a short clip from a TV show that uses the right language for greetings, opening and closing a conversation, and farewells. Then, students can discuss why the language choices worked well in the scenario.
Another great way to teach pragmatics is through role-playing. For example, if a student asks their friend for a ride, the teacher could have them play the role of the person making the request. The student can practice their response to the question, and then the teacher can discuss why that response was appropriate.
An experienced teacher might use video clips from popular movies and television shows to illustrate pragmatic language. These clips often feature a wide range of social situations. Students can watch the clips and then comment on why the dialogue works or doesn’t work. This is a good way to get students thinking about pragmatics and how it applies to real-life situations.
Pragmatic teachers will be sure to spend plenty of time getting students involved in hands-on, project-based activities. They won’t waste time talking about theory too much, and they will encourage students to experiment with their own methods of solving problems. If two students come up with the same solution to a given problem, that’s fine. The most important thing is that the solution gets the job done.
Taking a pragmatic approach to learning and understanding the world around us is an excellent way to help your students become effective communicators, empathetic individuals, and skilled problem-solvers. Start a free trial of EverydaySpeech today to see how our interactive tools and activities can help your students develop their pragmatic language skills. You’ll be glad you did!