Pragmatics is a field of study that deals with the ways that verbal communication conveys meaning. It also looks at how these meanings are interpreted by the listener, and it considers the context in which the communication takes place. This article explores the various aspects of pragmatics and how they relate to other disciplines such as linguistics, philosophy, and psychology.
It also discusses the history of pragmatics, which began with discussions at the so-called Metaphysical Club in 1870 and spread through Peirce’s and James’ publications. The pragmatists were looking for a way to make philosophy useful or ‘pragmatic’ in the sense of helping people cope with reality rather than simply providing abstract philosophical theories for intellectual self-gratification.
The authors in this issue of the Forum suggest that the future of pragmatics will depend on a greater integration between its study of speech act semantics and pragmatics as a whole, as well as a better understanding of the cognitive presuppositions underlying specific pragmatic phenomena. These authors provide a number of valuable suggestions for moving this forward, including developing precise, theoretically motivated connections between these different levels of investigation.
As the pragmatics field grows, it will be necessary for language educators to find a balance between teaching the pragmatics of English and allowing students to develop their linguistic skills in natural settings. The authors of the Forum article “Pragmatic Activities for the Speaking Classroom” offer some helpful advice in this regard, describing an activity where students are presented with requests and asked to choose appropriate responses. The activity allows teachers to discuss how certain responses convey the speaker’s attitude toward the requester and what features of the situation are taken into account.
Another article, “Luck of the Draw (Pragmatics)” explains how to teach pragmatics in the classroom through a game of role-play where speakers and locations are randomly selected. Students practice using appropriate greetings and closing phrases in each scenario and discuss the results. This article also suggests other pragmatics-related activities for the classroom, such as apologizing, giving advice, making requests, and closing conversations.
The pragmatics of a language are influenced by culture and the idioms used in particular social contexts. Thus, it is essential that teachers take cultural factors into consideration when teaching the pragmatics of a particular language. This is particularly important when dealing with multilingual learners. The article “Pragmatics in a multicultural society” offers several practical tips for doing this, including highlighting the need to incorporate culturally appropriate examples into lessons and encouraging students to talk about their own experiences in the classroom.
In the end, pragmatics is a tool for coping with the problems of everyday life. Whether it’s avoiding embarrassing situations or navigating the complex social dynamics of the workplace, pragmatics can help students become proficient communicators. For this reason, it is an important area to include in any ESL curriculum. Ultimately, pragmatics will continue to grow as a discipline, and it is essential that educators keep up with the latest developments in this exciting field.
