What is Pragmatics?

... this question will be answered in the following interview between Prof. Dr. Alexander Bergs and Verena Barbosa Duarte (Osnabrück University)
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The interpretation of linguistic meaning in context

Introduction

“Pragmatics studies the factors that govern our choice of language in social interaction and the effects of our choice on others.”
David Crystal

In contrast to Phonetics and Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, and Semantics, which describe different levels of language structure, Pragmatics deals with language use. It is still a fairly young discipline in linguistics, and is thus defined in a variety of ways. However, Pragmatics is mostly used in connection with the relationship between linguistic signs and their users (as depicted in the cartoon above). It investigates how context (both situational and linguistic contexts) affects the meaning of utterances.

Categories: Glossary

All modules of General Linguistics are divided into 3 areas: focus and content, exercises and tools & extras. Use the various short texts and attached exercises in each module in addition to your textbooks and make use of our extensive annotated reading lists and tools to improve your knowledge according to your needs. All subfields in the area focus and content are linked to several exercises, designed for the respective topics in three degrees of difficulty. You can either work through the texts and attached exercises in the given order or you can move on directly to the area exercises to improve your skills where necessary.