The Importance of Pragmatics to Language Teaching and LearningNowadays the language of globalization is English, the international communication. People used to communicate by using language. Language is very important in people’s life from birth to death. Without language, it is hard to communicate each one another because through language every individual can express their feelings, emotions and thoughts. And people know that the universal language is English.
Though, all countries know about the English language, but sometimes it is hard to construct a good sentence or it is hard to communicate using English language especially if it is not your vernacular. As Richards (2001) stated, English is no longer viewed as the property of the English-speaking world but it is an international commodity sometimes referred to as English an International Language.Upon discussing about language, Talking about the Importance of Pragmatics is the most important in this paper. Pragmatics is the branch of linguistics that is dealing with the use of language and the contexts in which it is used. It includes such matters as deixes, that taking turns in conversation, the organization of text, presupposition and implicature. As (Achard ; Niemeier, 2004; Hasselgard et al.
, 2002) stated, Linguistic is the scientific study of language, which explores how a language develops, how the framework and structure of a language function, how we communicate with one another, and how languages are similar and different from one another.The importance of pragmatics is that it helps everyone to communicate and understand each other by using language. Knowing that pragmatics is how people actually use the language, but do not know its importance. Everyone should know the facts or the importance of pragmatics especially when you study about linguistics because it’s a part of linguistics to study each branch of linguistics that also involves Pragmatics which is part of it.As Sinha (2005) stated, Linguistic is the knowledge that includes phonology, or the study of cognitive aspects of speech sounds; morphology, or how words are formed or it is the words formation; semantics, or the study of meaning in language; syntax, or the formation of sentences or the study of organizing the words to form a sentence; and pragmatics, or how language is used to communicate. The areas of language learning most utilized in teaching second languages include phonology, morphology, semantics, and syntax. However, an area of linguistics education that has been overlooked for some time is pragmatics, which is recently attracting attention (Taguchi, 2011).
One particularly esoteric topic of discussion is how pragmatics is influenced by culture. Of special interest is how the differential dynamics of pragmatics in different cultures create communication breakdowns that can discourage teachers from teaching and students from learning a new language. Consequently, in recent years, a proliferation of studies has focused on the importance of teaching pragmatics in second language classrooms (Taguchi, 2011). The importance of Pragmatics in communication, Pragmatics, also known as the social language, it refers to an individual’s that has the ability to use language for a variety of functions (For example: to request, label, gain attention, greet/part, comment, ask for help, etc.), it is a vary language based on audience or setting, and follow rules for conversation. Pragmatics includes the understanding and appropriate use of eye contact, facial expressions, and body language.
Children and adolescents may be able to form lengthy sentences and articulate sounds clearly, but if they do not understand and/or have not mastered the rules for communication, there may be a language delay in the area of pragmatics.When having a conversation with someone, we initiate with a greeting, introduce a topic, and take turns commenting. Within that conversation, each person needs to be able to read the other person’s tone, facial expressions, eye contact, and nonverbal cues to determine if their partner is still interested, when it is appropriate to interject or add a comment, and when it is time to end the conversation or change the topic. Individuals that have difficulty with use of social language may provide too much information on a topic, use inappropriate phrases/sentences within conversation, change the topic suddenly and/or frequently, and retell a story or recent event that is hard to follow. There may also be little variety in the use of language, which can make their language appear scripted or rote.
