meaning and language use

This unit “Introduction to Pragmatics” develops out of the desire to properly explain the nature of language and how it works in the context of people and situations. Much of the progress made in this discipline may be attributable to reactions of linguistic scholars and all those interested in communication to the formal approach to language study, especially structural linguistics and those that believe that language is a purely mental process.

Pragmatics and other sociolinguistic sub-fields attempt to demonstrate the social dimensions of language and explain the difference between linguistic forms and what speakers actually say and mean in different social contexts.