Pragmatics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the context-dependency of various aspects of linguistic interpretation and communication. It encompasses the theory of ambiguity and indexicality, speech act theory, and the theory of conversational implicature. It also includes the Gricean Maxims that are four general pragmatic rules that are considered to be universal across most languages and situations.

It is often difficult to understand the difference between semantics and pragmatics because they both deal with meaning. However, pragmatics is more concerned with how meaning is created in a specific social context. It takes into account irony, metaphors, idioms, and implied meaning. It is this understanding of how people use language that allows us to politely hedge a request, cleverly read between the lines, or negotiate turn-taking norms in conversation.

A pragmatist would argue that what matters is what works, and that the truth may not be as important as we have long believed it to be. The truth of capitalism versus the truth of socialism, for example, is irrelevant as long as each leads to a better life for individuals, regardless of how they got there.

This pragmatism flirts with relativism, and is sometimes referred to as neo-pragmatism or neo-pragmatism. The main currents of this pragmatism converged around two approaches to truth: one approach, associated with Rorty, flirted with relativism and implied that the concept of truth was not as important as it had been previously thought; the other, associated with Peirce, favored realism and claimed that a more pragmatic view of truth would be that it simply is what it is.

Another reason for the emergence of this pragmatism was that it is able to draw on, and provide a framework for, a number of well-developed non-correspondence theories of truth (such as deflationism, disquotationalism, and minimalism) that were not available to earlier pragmatics. This enables the neo-pragmatists to offer a more holistic account of truth than had been possible before.

For the individual who is not a philosopher, it can be difficult to understand why this pragmatic approach is useful or even necessary. The fact is, though, that most of us are pragmatic in many ways and in most circumstances. For example, if you go out to dinner with a group of friends and split the check, the pragmatic thing to do is pay what you think you had so that no one will get upset. It is the fair thing to do.

Incorporating pragmatic skills training in educational settings can help individuals to develop the social behaviors they need to build and maintain meaningful relationships. This can include teaching strategies for dealing with taboo questions and avoiding off-color humor, modeling appropriate behaviors in all interactions, utilizing visual supports, and encouraging real-life practice and generalization of pragmatic skills. This way, an individual can learn to navigate social situations successfully and develop a sense of competence and self-esteem. To learn more about how to incorporate pragmatic skills training into your classroom, download our free EverydaySpeech app.