Pragmatics is the study of language in its social context. This field is a growing area of study and research. It involves looking at how people use language, the effect of context on what is said and how it is interpreted, and the effects of cultural differences on pragmatic meaning. It is an area of philosophy and linguistics that has its roots in the work of Charles Sanders Peirce and his followers, including William James and Josiah Royce. Pragmatism has gained popularity and acceptance as a third alternative to the analytic and continental philosophical traditions.
The word pragmatic derives from a Greek root, “praxis,” meaning ‘to practice,’ or “to do something” (pragma). It is an ancient philosophy that was revived by philosophers in the nineteenth century. A variety of disciplines contribute to pragmatism, such as logic, sociology, history, and anthropology. The idea that the only valid truth is what works in a real-life situation is central to this philosophy. Pragmatism is often viewed as a method for settling metaphysical disputes that might otherwise be interminable, as it recognizes that any ‘practical difference’ that would follow from one side’s being correct is more valuable than mere intellectualism.
There is empirical evidence that demonstrates the importance of pragmatism in human communication. Studies of figurative utterances such as metaphor, idiom, and irony show that people tend to interpret these utterances differently depending on their cultural background, and their understanding is more dependent upon pragmatic factors than lexical or syntactic factors. Likewise, Snyder’s [14] study of language-delayed children found that these students were significantly more delayed in pragmatic development than they were in lexical and syntactic processing.
In the classroom, teachers can include pragmatic activities in their lesson plans. One of the most useful is a request scenario, where learners are asked to decide how they will make a specific type of request in different situations. This can help learners understand the complexity of a particular pragmatic situation and why certain responses might be more appropriate than others. In addition, teachers can also incorporate a discussion of how cultural differences may affect pragmatics. For example, when teaching an activity about apologies, instructors can explain why some apologies are more appropriate than others in different cultures.