PRAGMATICS

PRAGMATICS

1. What is pragmatics?

   • Is the study of the aspects of meaning and other features of the context of utterance.

2. Pragmatics involve three major communication skills:

   • Using language
     • for different purposes
       • informing (e.g., I'm going to get a cookie)
       • demanding (e.g., Give me a cookie)
   • Changing language
     • according to the needs of a listener or situation
       • talking differently to a baby than to an adult
       • Speaking differently in a classroom than on a playground
   • Following rules
     • for conversations and storytelling
       • Introducing topics of conversation
         • These rules may vary across cultures and within cultures.
       • rephrasing when misunderstood

3. How is Pragmatics studied?

   • Pragmatics can be studied using various different methods, somo of them are.
     • Theoretical Pragmatics
       • The pragmatic theories, based on such hypothetical interaction, were later applied to real data.
     • Empirical Pragmatics
       • This is a relatively new method of pragmatics and involves studying actual language in use. The language data can be collected in various ways such as interview, spontaneous speech and experiments.
     • Experimental Pragmatics
       • Experimental evidence can be used, together with intuition and recordings, to confirm or disconfirm hypotheses