Pragmatics is a branch of language and refers to the
hidden or implied meaning of a word or words and phrases in sentences.
It is not the actual or literal meaning of the word or words but what they imply in relation to the
context or
situation the
speaker is in at that given moment of speech.
Lets consider the following
conversation between two speakers as an example:
Speaker 1: I am looking to employ someone as full time domestic help.
Speaker 2: That''s good. I am leaving for Dubai tomorrow and would like to re-locate my staff.
Speaker 1: Great. Is your staff a male or female?
Speaker 2: Male.
Speaker 1: oh, That''s sad.
It would be interesting to note here that neither of the two speakers actually asked or replied to questions directly.
The entire dialogue between the two is based on their knowledge of the situation and their understanding of the context that they are in. There is no direct reference to anything. the whole conversation takes place in an atmosphere of self comprehension, where the hidden or unstated meanings of the words are understood or comprehended with ease based on the context of their speech.
Anothe exmple is a conversation between a
student looking for an accomodation at a guest house.
Student: Does this place have an attatched bathroom?
Lnadlord: Your lucky.
Student: will food be provided twice daily?
Landlord: I''m sorry.
We notice that in the above conversation the land lord has restricted his
speech to single words and yet the student is able to get the answers from them, although they are not answered directly.
The answers "your lucky" and "I'' sorry" are not actual answers to questions in the traditional sense. Yet they have succesfully registered the knowledge that the student seeks from the landlord.
thus we see that PRAGMATICS is the hidden meaning of words and phrases in a sentence of a context or a situation.
More summaries about the Pragmatics and its role in life today