The word pragmatic is derived from the Greek word pragmatikos, meaning “practical.” It’s often used in a positive light to praise choices or actions that are considered practical and reasonable. It’s also sometimes applied to political positions or actions, such as a middle of the road approach that takes arguments from both sides into account.
Pragmatics is a broad field of study within linguistics that focuses on speakers’ communicative intentions and the context in which they use language. It differs from other areas of linguistics, such as semantics and syntax, in that it pays more attention to the ways in which speakers’ and listeners’ intentions and expectations influence utterance interpretation.
Some linguists see pragmatics as a philosophical project, while others view it as an empirical psychological theory of utterance interpretation. Both approaches have contributed to the field, but each has a unique perspective.
Semantics, on the other hand, focuses on the literal meaning of words and sentences, while syntax focuses on the relationships between different linguistic forms and their sequences. As a result, pragmatics has been viewed as a bridge between semantics and syntax. It is this broader perspective that gives pragmatics its unique value.
A lot of experimental research on pragmatics produces conflicting results. This is due to the fact that experimental tasks vary significantly, and thus, the underlying assumptions of any pragmatic theory will inevitably influence the results. This is a growing concern in cognitive science, a problem that has come to be known as the replication crisis. Despite this, scholars still argue that pragmatics always matters in people’s everyday experience of language.
To be pragmatic means to be concerned more with what is actually real than with what could or should be. For example, imagine you apply for a job and you think it is unlikely that you will get the position. You would likely be an idealist and reject the job, but if you were a pragmatic person, you might accept it because it’s better than nothing.
This pragmatic approach to the world is also evident in the way that we interact with each other. For example, you probably communicate with your friends in a way that is more pragmatic than other forms of communication. For example, you might use sarcasm or humour in a more pragmatic manner than you might when talking to your parents or teachers.
Having a pragmatic outlook on the world will enable you to deal with ambiguity in your daily life. Language is inherently ambiguous and people don’t always say what they mean. Pragmatic knowledge allows us to do things like politely hedge a request, cleverly read between the lines, negotiate turn-taking norms in conversation and navigate ambiguity in context.