Pragmatics
Pragmatics is the study of how context influences the interpretation of meaning. While semantics focuses on literal meaning, pragmatics examines how speakers use language in context, how meaning is inferred, and how communication works beyond the words themselves. Pragmatics problems appear less frequently in NACLO but are important for understanding language use.
Introduction to Pragmatics
Pragmatics explores:
- How context affects meaning
- How speakers convey more than they literally say
- How listeners infer intended meaning
- How language use varies in different situations
In NACLO, pragmatic problems might involve understanding how politeness, formality, or context affects language use in different cultures.
Speech Acts
Speech act theory examines how we use language to perform actions. When we say "I promise," we're not just describing a promise—we're making one. Types of speech acts include:
- Declarations: Change reality through language (e.g., "I now pronounce you married")
- Directives: Attempt to get someone to do something (e.g., "Please close the door")
- Commissives: Commit the speaker to an action (e.g., "I promise to help")
- Expressives: Express feelings or attitudes (e.g., "I'm sorry")
- Representatives: State facts or beliefs (e.g., "It's raining")
Different languages may express the same speech acts in different ways, which can be important in NACLO translation problems.
Implicature and Inference
Implicature refers to meaning that is implied rather than explicitly stated. For example:
- Saying "Some students passed" implies "Not all students passed"
- Saying "Can you pass the salt?" is a question about ability, but typically functions as a polite request
Pragmatics studies how listeners infer these implied meanings based on:
- Context
- Shared knowledge
- Conversational principles (like Grice's maxims of conversation)
Pragmatic Patterns in NACLO
While less common, NACLO problems involving pragmatics might ask you to:
- Understand how politeness is expressed in different languages
- Recognize how formality affects language use
- Understand cultural differences in communication
- Interpret indirect speech acts
- Recognize how context affects translation
These problems require thinking about language as a tool for communication, not just a system of rules.