Learning to Talk: Pragmatics

Pragmatics considers language use and understanding in context. It is a subfield of linguistics and is concerned with speech acts, conversational implicature, and the relationship between signifiers, like words and sentences, and their interpretation in certain communicative situations.
Infants initially develop a pragmatic understanding of language through non-verbal means before they start using words. They communicate through gestures, engagement in joint attention, and pre-linguistic vocalisations.
As children become more proficient in language use, they begin to grasp basic discourse rules. For instance, understanding when to speak in a conversation, how to take turns, and staying on topic.
A child’s ability to understand and use different language functions, such as questioning or requesting, is a key part of pragmatic development. These are also known as Speech Act Theory, where the primary function of language is ‘doing’ rather than ‘saying’.
Politeness theory is another crucial aspect of pragmatic development. Children gradually learn how to use formal or polite forms of speech in appropriate contexts. This includes the correct use of “please” and “thank you”, understanding indirect requests and formality registers.
The development of narrative skills is another key feature of pragmatics progression in children. This refers to the ability to effectively tell or understand a story with a logical sequence.
Deixis is a crucial concept in child language development. It refers to words that rely on context for their meaning, such as “this”, “that”, “here” and “there”. A child must understand the context in which these words are used to comprehend their meaning.
Grice’s Maxim’s, a set of principles that describe how people typically behave in conversation, are essential in understanding cooperative principle in pragmatics. The four maxims here are: Maxim of Quantity (providing just enough information), Maxim of Quality (truthfulness), Maxim of Relevance (staying on topic) and Maxim of Manner (clear, unambiguous communication).
Both social and cognitive factors influence a child’s pragmatic development. The child’s social environment, cognitive ability, and language input all have an impact on how and when different skills are acquired.
The development of pragmatics is a continuous process that extends into adolescence and beyond, as individuals continue to adjust to changing social expectations and language use conventions.