Pragmatics

Pragmatics deals with (1) the meaning of words and phrases in context, as opposed to stand-alone, contextless meaning (i.e., semantics), and (2) how language is used and understood in real contexts, be it spoken or written. As such, it is a very broad area of linguistics, and is still one of the newer areas of serious linguistic research. Basic pragmatics knowledge can be tremendously helpful and practical for language teachers.