Pragmatic is a subfield of linguistics that studies the ways in which language is used in context. It includes the theory of ambiguity and indexicality, conversational implicature, speech act theory, and other areas of linguistic interpretation and the study of how meanings are communicated between speakers. Linguists who specialize in pragmatics are called pragmaticians.
The idea of pragmatism has been influential in other fields, such as philosophy and business management. For example, it has been argued that the pragmatic approach to business is more successful than the idealistic approach because it takes into account the needs and constraints of businesses. The pragmatic approach also allows for flexible solutions that can be adapted to changing conditions.
For example, a company may decide to relocate its headquarters from one location to another in order to increase efficiency. The relocation might require moving furniture and equipment and finding new office space. The business might hire a logistics expert to help manage the move and make sure that all of the necessary steps are taken in order to minimize downtime and disruptions. The logistics expert could provide a report that included the cost of the move and the estimated time frame for completion. The company would then have a clearer picture of its options and could make a more informed decision.
Similarly, when a business plans to purchase a new piece of equipment, it will need to consider the costs and benefits of each option. It will also need to evaluate how the equipment is likely to be used and the potential impact on employee productivity. The logistical specialist can help to identify the best solution by analyzing the available data and making recommendations.
Pragmatics is also important in psychology and medicine. It is important to understand how people interpret and use language in various contexts in order to make better treatment decisions. For example, a person with a speech disorder may need to learn how to modify their language in order to improve communication with other people.
In experimental pragmatics, it is common to present individual participants with a set of stimuli that represents different independent variables. Then, the researcher will often calculate averages of the individuals’ behavioral responses to the stimuli. These averages can give useful information about the central tendencies of people’s behaviors in the specific experimental conditions. However, many independent variables may have only partial or probabilistic influence on people’s behavior in experimental pragmatic tasks (Gibbs and Santa Cruz, 2012). Consequently, it is important to consider these factors when interpreting the results of an experiment.