Classroom Signs and Pragmatics

A good warmer is to look around at the signs that have probably been posted on the walls of the class or its halls and have students consider their meanings. Often students have misconceptions about the true meaning of such signs. For example, a student might think a sign reading “Thank You for Not Smoking” is expressing appreciation for the act of refraining from smoking.

 

This is actually a good opportunity for a lesson in pragmatics, or how language is used to get people to act. The teacher can point out that actually the sign is not really an expression of gratitude, even if it seems so with the use of “thank you.” It’s actually a polite directive: “Don’t Smoke.” This becomes a lesson not only in how to decipher a specific sign but in pragmatics, or how language is actually used to get others to act.