Pragmatics

Pragmatics is a subfield of linguistics and semiotics that studies the ways in which context contributes to meaning. Pragmatics encompasses speech act theory, conversational implicature, talk in interaction and other approaches to language behavior in philosophy, sociology, linguistics and anthropology.

Overview

Pragmatics studies how the transmission of meaning depends not only on structural and linguistic knowledge (e.g., grammar, lexicon, etc.) of the speaker and listener, but also on the context of the utterance, any pre-existing knowledge about those involved, the inferred intent of the speaker, and other factors.

History

The ability to understand another speaker's intended meaning is called pragmatic competence. An utterance describing pragmatic function is described as metapragmatic.

Key Concepts

Pragmatics focuses on the following key concepts:

• Deixis: Words whose meaning is dependent on the context in which they are used.
• Implicature: An implied meaning that is inferred by the listener.
• Speech act: An utterance that has performative function in language and communication.
• Presupposition: Assumptions the speaker makes about what the listener already knows.

See Also

• Semiotics
• Linguistics
• Speech act theory
• Conversational implicature

References

Pragmatics Resources
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