Pragmatics

Pragmatics

Pragmatics refers to the ability to use language for social purposes. It may also be known as social language skills.

Pragmatics involves the interaction between the speaker and the listener when expressing communicative intentions such as requesting, protesting or commenting as well as listening and responding appropriately. It also involves the ability to notice and respond to non-verbal aspects of language such as facial expression and gesture.It also involves the use of conversational rules such as initiating conversation, asking for clarification when necessary and maintaining a topic.

A student with impaired pragmatics may present with social language similar to that of a younger child. They may lack appropriate conversational skills required for effective communication. For example,they may not wait for the speaker to finish what they are saying, they may respond inappropriately or they may change the topic before the conversation partner is finished speaking about it.