Blog #4: Pragmatics 

Introduction👀

Don't get alarmed or scared by this one, folks. Pragmatics, in the wide wide world of linguistics, is just the study of how specific context contributes to a word's meaning. Piggybacking off of the last blog's topic with semantics, it only makes sense to explain and learn about pragmatics next. If semantics is the meaning of words and how we know what they're trying to convey, as well as the subcategories of semantics, what is pragmatics? With the help of the following sources, we'll find out: "15 Pragmatics Examples" by Chris Drew, "Pragmatics Gives Context to Language" by Richard Nordquist, and "Master Communication: Learn Pragmatic Language Skills" by Rajini D. 

Chris Drew's article comes from HelpfulProfessor, a website that has been used in this blog previously, and is therefore, a trusted source. Actually, his article is the perfect companion to last blog's "18 Semantics Examples" source. Nordquist has also been cited in this blog before, and today he is going to provide some helpful information on pragmatics. These two sources were easy to find and are reliable to this writer. Rajini D's article was stumbled upon looking for visual elements to utilize, but it still offers an insight into pragmatics from a speech therapy linguistic lens. 

Summary

Pragmatics is the study of how "context influences how we interpret" and make meaning of words in communication (Drew). As touched upon last time, the literal meaning of a word isn't always its implied meaning. According to Drew, metaphors, irony, and sarcasm "require" contextual understanding to get what is really being said. Social situations, individual relationships, cultures, and even the way things are said affects how we come to understand words. To give readers an understanding, semantics is the meaning of words, whereas pragmatics is concerned with the context behind these words. Perspective is required, and decisions are made when communicating to choose words that impact the language. If someone says, "It's cold in here," they're clearly implying that they are cold and wouldn't mind a way of warming themselves up. The context depends on the situation. If you have a blanket nearby, perhaps they're subtly implying they would like that blanket. 

Examples of pragmatics, as used by Drew

Furthermore, pragmatics takes "context into account" and gives us a "fuller, deeper, and generally more reasonable account of human language behavior" (Nordquist). Without context, sometimes we cannot actually understand what language and words actually mean, or what a person is really trying to say. Social signs, body language, and tone of voice also influence how words are understood contextually (Nordquist). Meanwhile, Rajini D argues that pragmatic language skills are "essential tools of social communication" that help adequately express our thoughts, ideas, and feelings "effectively." Formal language may be proper at a job interview, however, adaptability in knowing which method to use for communication depends on social contexts (Rajini D). For example, a head nod, a frown, or a smile offer different, distinct ways of conveying more than words. In a classroom, a student raises their hand to get their teacher's attention; this is a non-verbal method of pragmatic language in action (Rajini D). Once again, this action typically only occurs in a social setting such as a school, requiring context.

Critical Analysis

Chris Drew, who has a PhD and is the founder of Helpful Professor, has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. His article, "15 Pragmatics Examples" is the most informative source, describing the multitude of ways in which context alters the intended meaning of a word. Besides the definition of the term, Drew explains how sarcasm, irony, social conventions such as politeness, euphemisms, etc. affect these meanings. A very in-depth, thorough article, there aren't many weaknesses here. In contrast, Nordquist's "Pragmatics Gives Context to Language" describes the sociological and historical development of pragmatics, before explaining how pragmatics works in action, and why it is important. As opposed to Drew's article, Nordquist does not provide many examples or visual elements, but he does give a historical perspective not found previously. 

Compared to both previous sources, the weakest is certainly Rajini D.'s "Master Communication: Learn Pragmatic Language Skills." An Indian speech therapist, Rajini D.'s article was published in the speech therapy field by WellnessHub, a website that offers speech therapy expertise for children. I was curious how a speech therapist would view pragmatics from that specific perspective, because certainly speech therapy pertains to linguistics, but would his view be different than others? This article elaborates on how pragmatics influence language skills, how non-verbal communication and social norms affect pragmatics, and its importance in child development. From this lens, it was a sufficient source, but lacks the credibility of Drew or Nordquist's articles. 

Connection to Coursework 📖

Once again, this blog entry is meant to act as a companion to the previous entry about semantics. Both terms sounded similar and involve linguistics, so when I studied up on semantics, it became apparent to me that I wanted to learn what pragmatics is. At this point in the course, the term has been thrown around, and in the textbook, specifically chapter 3: Language acquisition, pragmatics is referred to but not explicitly explained. Just as I mentioned in my last blog, sometimes terms are thrown around without fully being explained. We're just supposed to know them already. Maybe some people do, or most do, but I did not. To fully be confident in what we are learning the rest of this semester, I feel that I should at least know the simple terminology that's being used, like semantics or pragmatics. Otherwise, as I've been doing my whole life with some terms, I'm just doing myself a disservice.

Personal Reflection🤔

Not to copy my previous reflection in blog #3, but truly, I am worried about getting asked questions about terminology as an English teacher that I don't understand myself. How can I, as a teacher, educate students when I myself am uneducated? With this understanding of pragmatics, as well as semantics, I can at least answer a student's question on the term. While I probably do not have a thorough, encyclopedia-like knowledge on either, I definitely can explain both terms individually and in comparison to the other. Beyond teaching, as a role model for my nephews and niece, I like to sound as if I know what I'm talking about. It feels good when people ask me questions about things they don't understand, because then I can try to help explain it to them and break it down for them to digest. 

Citations

D, Rajini. “Master Communication: Learn Pragmatic Language Skills.” WellnessHub, 28 Aug. 2024, www.mywellnesshub.in/blog/pragmatic-language-skills/.

Drew, Chris. “15 Pragmatics Examples.” Helpful Professor, 19 Sept. 2023, helpfulprofessor.com/pragmatics-examples/.

 Nordquist, Richard. “Pragmatics Gives Context to Language.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 11 Aug. 2019, www.thoughtco.com/pragmatics-language-1691654.