Pragmatic is a word used to describe people who focus on outcomes and consequences instead of idealistic theories. For example, a person who is pragmatic might choose to buy a car with cash instead of financing it, because he or she believes that doing so will help him or her get the most bang for the buck in the long run. The term pragmatic is also commonly used in the context of politics and business, describing people who are willing to take an approach that will likely work rather than wasting time trying to find the “perfect” solution to every situation.
Pragmatics is a broad field that studies the context-dependence of various aspects of linguistic interpretation. Its branches include the theory of how one and the same sentence can convey different meanings or propositions from context to context (owing to ambiguity or indexicality or both), speech act theory, and the theory of conversational implicature.
Generally speaking, there are many different approaches to the study of pragmatics, and these vary greatly in terms of discipline and methodology. Some scholars view pragmatics, in a Gricean vein, as a philosophical project; others concentrate on its interaction with grammar; and still others view it as an empirical psychological theory of utterance interpretation.
Experimental pragmatics, which is the most widely practiced approach in this field, involves the presenting of participants with a wide range of stimuli under controlled experimental conditions. Then, researchers measure their behavioral responses to these stimuli, and they typically report averages of people’s reactions to the various experimental conditions. The reason why so many different results are generated by experimental pragmatics studies is that there are within-individual differences in how people interpret and respond to the various stimuli.
This is not an insignificant concern and it relates to the current widespread issue of failures to replicate experimental findings in psychology, a phenomenon dubbed the “replication crisis.” A key challenge for researchers in pragmatics is determining what, if anything, can be done to increase the likelihood that experimental results will be replicated in the future.
Pragmatic researchers are currently exploring a variety of ways to promote replication and improve the rigor of pragmatic research. For instance, they are examining how to balance inductive and deductive procedures, the extent to which insider or outsider perspectives are privileged, study requirements related to data and products that support scientific advancement and practice change, and strategic resource allocation.
In the end, pragmatics is an incredibly useful tool to have in your toolbox when it comes to building relationships and navigating social situations. Having the ability to communicate effectively with others is essential, and pragmatic language skills can make all the difference. To learn more about pragmatic language and how to enhance your communication abilities, click here. Also, be sure to sign up for a free trial of our EverydaySpeech product!