Pragmatics is the study of how people use language in real-world situations. It differs from semantics, syntax and semiotics, which deal with the rules that define the literal linguistic meaning of words and sentences. Instead, pragmatics looks at how the physical or social context in which a linguistic expression is used determines how it is understood and what its purpose is.
A number of pragmatist thinkers have written about pragmatics, including Charles Sanders Peirce and William James. While there is no unified philosophical creed of the pragmatists, there are some ideas that have loomed large over their thinking. These include the idea that an ideology or proposition only has validity if it works satisfactorily, that the meaning of an utterance is determined by the speaker’s intention, and the fact that words are not merely symbols but have real world implications.
For a teacher, pragmatics can be used to help students become more aware of the way they speak and the implications their speech might have. It can also be used to show how cultural differences might influence the meaning of a communication.
A lesson on pragmatics can be as simple as a classroom activity that allows learners to practice how they might greet others in different situations and locations. This might be a part of a textbook unit on greetings or it might be an additional activity that is added to an existing text. Lessons on pragmatics can also be based on other language functions, such as requests, complaints, invitations and apologies. These might be based on the home culture or they might be related to content in the target language textbook.
The concept of pragmatics is often used in discussions of linguistic theory, although it has been applied to a wide range of philosophical topics. For example, it is often employed in arguments that a scientific theory should be tested on real-world data rather than being judged by the theory’s abstract logic. Similarly, it has been used to support arguments that the goals of a government policy should be measured by their impact on the lives of the citizens they affect, rather than being judged solely on the principle of efficiency.
While pragmatism may seem like an ideology that is not fully formed, it has a solid basis in the principles of scientific inquiry. As such, it can be used to support an argument that a particular method of education will lead to the best outcomes for students. Despite the flaws in this argument, it is one that many teachers embrace as a way of promoting critical thinking and encouraging students to consider the consequences of their actions.