Pragmatics in Analysis

This lesson brings together the pragmatic frameworks covered in this course and applies them to the analysis of authentic spoken and written data. At A-Level, the ability to apply pragmatic theory to real texts — and to combine multiple frameworks in a single analysis — is what distinguishes competent responses from excellent ones. This lesson provides practical guidance on how to deploy pragmatic analysis effectively, how to select appropriate frameworks, and how to structure analytical writing for examination success.

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What Pragmatic Analysis Involves

Pragmatic analysis examines how meaning is created beyond the literal content of words. It is concerned with:

• What is implied but not said (implicature, presupposition)
• What speakers are doing with their words (speech acts)
• How context shapes interpretation (deixis, reference)
• How speakers manage social relationships (politeness, face)
• How listeners interpret utterances (inference, relevance)

Pragmatic analysis is particularly important for spoken data (transcripts of conversations, interviews, speeches) and for texts where the intended meaning goes beyond the surface level (advertisements, political discourse, opinion columns).

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A Framework for Pragmatic Analysis

When approaching any text with a pragmatic lens, use the following systematic framework: