Pragmatic is a branch of linguistics which looks at how context contributes to meaning. It is an important field because it focuses on the actual use of language in real-world interactions. Linguists who specialize in pragmatics are called pragmaticians. Pragmatics is a subfield of semantics and its close relatives, including lexicology and syntax. It has been defined as “the theory of how a sentence of natural language expresses different meanings or propositions depending on its context of use, e.g., because of ambiguity or indexicality, by means of speech act theory, by the theory of conversational implicature, and so on.”
Semantics studies sentences; pragmatics studies context-dependence in linguistic interpretation. It’s also sometimes referred to as “near-side pragmatics.” Near-side pragmatics studies things that occur close to the time of interpretation and are thus affected by features of the current situation or environment in which the utterance is used. Examples include resolution of ambiguity and vagueness, reference to proper names, indexicals and demonstratives, anaphors, and presupposition.
Another important facet of pragmatics is pragmatic competence, which refers to the ability to understand and use pragmatic principles in a given conversational context. This is especially important in the teaching of second languages, as it helps students become aware of the social norms and expectations that govern everyday language behavior and how these expectations may vary between cultures. Pragmatic competence has gained importance recently as the communicative competence model of second language acquisition has shifted from an emphasis on grammar and vocabulary to an emphasis on sociolinguistic skills such as understanding and responding appropriately to others.
Computational pragmatics is a related area of research that addresses the question of how to design computer systems that can more closely approximate human language and information processing abilities by using contextual knowledge to better interpret incoming data. It also aims to address a number of other difficult problems in natural language processing, such as reference resolution (how to tell computers when two objects are the same or not) and conversational implicature.
People who are pragmatic think in terms of what works and what’s useful in the real world rather than relying on ideals or theories. They are more cynical, sometimes bordering on pessimistic. They tend to be more practical, results oriented and willing to compromise in order to achieve their goals. They are more willing to accept that they cannot have everything their way than idealistic dreamers who often end up with very little of what they want in the end. This is not to say that pragmatic people lack vision, as they can still be quite creative and imaginative. It’s just that they are more focused on the present than the future. They take life as it comes and are able to adapt to changing circumstances in an appropriate manner. They are the kind of people that you want to have on your side in a crisis. They’ll be there to save the day.