Pragmatics is the study of how language is used, in context, by real people. It is the opposite of semantics, which is the study of what words and sentences mean in a literal sense. Pragmatics goes beyond semantics and takes into account social, cultural, and situational factors when interpreting meaning. It is the art of conversation, and one of the reasons that it is so important to teach pragmatic skills in school.
Pragmatism originated in the United States around 1870 and presented a growing third alternative to both analytic and ‘Continental’ philosophical traditions worldwide. Its first generation was initiated by Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) and his close friend William James (1842-1910). A Harvard colleague of James, Josiah Royce (1855-1916), although officially allied with absolute idealism, also proved a valuable interlocutor for pragmatism.
In the present day there are a number of different trends within pragmatism. Some see pragmatics, much in the spirit of Paul Grice, as a philosophical project; others concentrate on its interaction with grammar; and still others view it as an empirical psychological theory of utterance interpretation.
A pragmatist is someone who is concerned with things that actually work, rather than with things that could or should work. Pragmatic people are interested in outcomes and results, whereas idealists are more interested in ideas and theories.
Pragmatism is not without its flaws, however. One major flaw is that it collapses completely when applied to issues of morality and ethics. Most people recognize this collapse, and for that reason pragmatism is not taken seriously by most philosophers.
Another problem with pragmatism is that it makes a mockery of the concept of truth. This is because pragmatism says that what is true depends on how useful it is. This makes pragmatism a form of relativism, which is not popular in most places.
Fortunately, there are ways to address pragmatic difficulties. Explicit teaching strategies such as modeling and role-playing can help students learn to use appropriate communication behaviors in various situations. Visual supports and social stories can be helpful as well. Lastly, regular collaboration between teachers and Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) is crucial to support pragmatic skills development in the classroom.
In addition to these strategies, there are a variety of apps and games that can be used to practice pragmatic skills. These include turn-taking, topic maintenance, and generating questions. Finally, using collaborative group activities and cooperative learning in the classroom can provide opportunities for students to practice pragmatic skills. The most important thing to remember when teaching pragmatics is that there are no one-size-fits-all approaches. Every student is unique and has his or her own communication needs. It is therefore essential that teachers and SLPs work together to develop individualized goals for each student. This collaboration will enable teachers to provide students with a wide range of pragmatics skills that will prepare them for the world outside of the classroom.
