Pragmatic is the ability to understand and interpret non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. It is also the ability to adjust your own communication style depending on the context and audience. Pragmatic skills are critical for effective communication in school and the workplace. Individuals who have strong pragmatic language skills are able to clearly convey their ideas, negotiate with others, and adapt their communication style to fit different situations.
People who are pragmatic are able to weigh the benefits and costs of various options and choose the best course of action. For example, if someone offers you a job that is not quite what you want, you might choose to accept it because it might eventually lead to something better in the long run. Alternatively, you might reject the offer because it might not be in your best interests.
While the term pragmatism was first used in philosophy, it is now widely used in psychology and education. Pragmatism is a philosophical movement that was borne out of the basic agreement among pragmatist scholars to abandon traditional assumptions about reality, knowledge, and inquiry (Maxcy 2003). In practical terms, this meant that pragmatist scholars accepted that social science research cannot access the “truth” through any one method alone. This led to an ethics-based pursuit of democracy, equality, and justice for all (Koenig et al., 2019).
The key idea of pragmatism is that actions and their consequences matter most. For this reason, pragmatists prioritize creating practical knowledge that can be used to make purposeful differences in practice (Maxcy 2003). Pragmatic theory and research focuses on creating this kind of knowledge by using both deduction and induction to create data (Goldkuhl 2012).
What is Pragmatics?
Pragmatics is the study of the meaning of words and how they are interpreted in different contexts. It includes the understanding of ambiguity, turn-taking norms in conversation, and the negotiation of meaning between speakers.
It is important to understand that pragmatics goes beyond the literal meaning of an utterance and looks at the context, the speaker’s intentions, and the listener’s responses.
A classic pragmatics example is the use of the word “by” in a sentence such as, “A stolen painting was found by a tree.” This ambiguity can be disambiguated by knowing that trees do not have the agency to find things.
Developing pragmatic language skills takes time. It is important to be patient with yourself or your students as they learn to communicate in new ways. EverydaySpeech has a variety of resources and activities to help you teach pragmatics in your classroom. Sign up for a free trial today to get started! EverydaySpeech is an online learning platform that offers a wide range of social emotional learning resources including pragmatic language games and lessons. Start your free trial today to begin exploring our comprehensive resource library! No credit card required. We will email you your username and password.