Pragmatic is a word that describes an approach to situations and decisions based on practical considerations rather than theoretical ideals or abstract principles. Pragmatic people are concerned with matters of fact and results and often prioritize flexibility, adaptability, and a focus on positive outcomes when resolving conflicts.

The concept of pragmatics was developed in the 1970s and is considered one of the most recent and important developments in linguistic theory. It is a subfield of semantics that examines how context influences meaning. A common example of a pragmatic utterance involves asking for an explanation in order to understand something that is confusing or difficult to grasp. Pragmatics looks at how the speaker frames the request, what they mean by the words used in the request, and what they expect the listener to do as a result of their request.

In contrast, semantics examines the meaning of a sentence or phrase in a particular context and what that statement implies. Semantics is also the branch of linguistics that focuses on the relationship between a sentence and the proposition it expresses.

Despite this apparent distinction, pragmatics and semantics are often seen as interrelated. It is impossible to analyze the meaning of a sentence without considering the context in which it was spoken. For this reason, many philosophers consider pragmatics and semantics to be part of the same field.

Some definitions of pragmatics posit that the difference between semantics and pragmatics is that pragmatics is the study of speech acts and their contexts while semantics is the study of sentences and their interpretations. This definition is a good starting point, but many linguists prefer to look at pragmatics as a subfield of semantics.

In contemporary empirical pragmatics, the term formula refers to recurrent strings or phrases that are used for specific pragmatic purposes. This approach to pragmatics is considered more natural than traditional linguistic analysis because it focuses on the way language is actually used in conversation. It is also believed that the use of such recurrent expressions in real life gives a better understanding of the meaning and functions of linguistic structures.

For example, in a classroom setting, teachers can incorporate pragmatic lessons into their language classes by giving students different scenarios and asking them how they would respond. This helps students develop a more expansive lexicon and improve their ability to communicate in a variety of situations.

A teacher might also include a lesson on pragmatics during a unit in the textbook that deals with requests. They could ask students to think about what they would say in each scenario and compare it to how people speak in their home and target languages.

A pragmatic approach can be helpful in business and personal relationships. By focusing on practicalities and results, pragmatic individuals are more likely to find success in their endeavors. This is often because they are more flexible, adaptable, and willing to compromise in order to reach a mutually beneficial outcome.