pragmatics

noun

UK /præɡˈmætɪks/

US /præɡˈmætɪks/

Pragmatics is how we use words to mean things in real situations.

Thanks to pragmatics, we know that 'Can you pass the salt?' is really a request, not a question about ability.

SYNONYMS

language use communication skills discourse usage speech practice

RELATED WORDS

semantics syntax linguistics context meaning

OTHER MEANINGS

2. The study of how context affects the meaning of language.

She took a course in pragmatics to understand how people imply things without saying them.

3. A practical, no-nonsense way of dealing with problems rather than following theory.

His pragmatics helped the team finish the project on time.

4. The branch of semiotics that deals with the relation between signs and their users.

In semiotics, pragmatics examines how people interpret signs in everyday life.