Pragmatic is the area of study in communication that takes into account meaning in context rather than simply the literal meaning of words. It is what allows us to politely hedge a request, cleverly read between the lines, negotiate turn-taking norms in conversation, and navigate ambiguity in context. Pragmatics is often referred to as the “other side of the coin” of semantics, but its scope and influence go far beyond that simple dichotomy.
Pragmatists are characterized by an openness to new experiences and a willingness to change their previous assumptions in light of those experiences. They also tend to be skeptics of fixed theories and dogmas, which can make them resistant to established bodies of knowledge and theoretical frameworks. This pragmatism can sometimes lead to a disregard for the accumulation of knowledge, which may hinder scientific advancements.
The philosophy of pragmatism has its origins in the Metaphysical Club, an informal group of Harvard-educated men that met for philosophical discussions in early 1870s. Among the members were proto-pragmatist Chauncey Wright, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes and two future pragmatist philosophers, Charles Sanders Peirce and William James.
A central tenet of pragmatic philosophy is that truth is not something that can be objectively measured, but rather that the perceptions of people are what matter most in their understanding of the world around them. In this way, pragmatics differs from traditional philosophical schools such as idealism and rationalism. Pragmatism places a greater emphasis on experience and experimentation than theoretical argument, which can be problematic for some individuals.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders often have trouble with social pragmatic function. Because this is not a trait that can be diagnosed by a standard screening test, it’s important for parents and teachers to take a holistic approach to pragmatic language development. This means focusing on all underpinning components of pragmatics, not just social knowledge.
Having good social pragmatic skills is vital for the development of healthy communication. Parents can encourage this by making sure that their children are establishing eye contact when greeting each other, and by reading regularly with their kids. By discussing why characters in books are feeling the way they do, children can learn how to recognize and interpret nonverbal cues from other people.
In the classroom, pragmatic instruction usually revolves around integrating lessons in linguistic pragmatics with content in the textbook. For example, an instructor may incorporate a lesson on interpreting idioms into a textbook unit on adverbs or the language of apology. In addition to this, instructors can include lessons on navigating ambiguity in context and managing the flow of reference (which involves tracking syntactic clues to determine who performed an action).