In language learning, pragmatics refers to the contextual meaning of our words and sentences. It’s what allows us to do things like politely hedge a request, read between the lines in conversation, and navigate ambiguity in context. It’s also what helps us understand why people don’t always say exactly what they mean.
The pragmatic study of linguistics considers the social, cultural, and situational factors that influence language use. In contrast, semantics is the study of the literal meaning of language.
Depending on whom you ask, there are different definitions of Pragmatics. Some define it as the study of communication and interaction, while others view it as a subset of Semantics that includes the negotiation of meaning between speakers. In the classroom, pragmatics can be taught through a variety of activities and lessons. Some teachers integrate information about pragmatics into existing lesson plans while others create separate pragmatic lessons. The teacher’s guide “Pragmatics Activities for the Speaking Classroom” by Joseph Siegel provides useful information and pragmatic activities to include in speaking class. For example, one activity involves creating a request scenario and then having students decide what response is appropriate. The discussion focuses on how the appropriateness of a response is determined by the age, culture, and history of the speakers as well as the current situation.
Other types of pragmatics lessons focus on different language functions, such as greetings, requests, complaints, invitations, and apologies. These lessons often take into account the home and target cultures, but can also incorporate other cultures. They may also address how cultural conventions impact the communication. For instance, it’s important to teach learners about taboo questions in other countries.
A more technical aspect of pragmatics is computational pragmatics, which is used to develop computer systems that can better model human language and information processing. Reference resolution, which is the process by which computers determine what a word or phrase means in a given context, is an important component of computational pragmatics.
A pragmatist takes into account the consequences of his actions for all involved. For example, if you kill your creditor and get away with it, this would seem pragmatic from your point of view because you avoid having to pay a debt that you would otherwise have to pay. However, this act is not pragmatic in the eyes of the community and society because you’ve taken a life. This is because a moral perspective must be considered in addition to the immediate effects of a particular action. This is a key element of pragmatics that many pragmatists incorporate into their decisions.