Pragmatic Strategies in Everyday Communication

 Understanding how people use language to show respect, avoid conflict, or express themselves more softly is essential for effective and empathetic communication in any second language. As future bilingual teachers, being aware of these strategies helps not only your own language development but also how you guide your students. Let’s explore some key pragmatic tools: politeness, indirect speech, hedging, euphemism, and culturally embedded expressions like false friends, proverbs, and idioms.

1. Courtesy and Politeness in Language

Politeness is about more than just saying "please" or "thank you." It's a way to express respect, soften requests, and manage how we relate to others in social situations. Linguist Geoffrey Leech (1983) emphasized that polite communication shifts focus from the speaker to the addressee, creating a more respectful exchange.

However, as Dr. Ghufran KhirAllah (2020) notes, politeness is not always necessary. Sometimes people choose not to be polite if the situation doesn’t call for it—for example, an audience booing instead of applauding after a performance. Politeness varies in degree and form, depending on the context. A violinist might respond to applause with a bow, while a football player might celebrate a goal with an expressive dance. These are different ways of returning or acknowledging social value.

There are two main types of politeness:

• Positive politeness aims to build closeness and show appreciation. Think of compliments, apologies, and thank-you notes.
• Negative politeness helps avoid imposing on others. It often includes indirect language, like saying, "Could you possibly open the window?" instead of *"Open the window."

2. Indirect Speech Acts (ISAs)

When we speak indirectly, we don’t always say what we mean word for word. For example, the question "Can you post this letter?" might not be a real question—it’s probably a polite request. Philosopher J.L. Austin (1962) pointed out that the structure of a sentence and its meaning can be different. This led to the study of indirect speech acts in pragmatics.

Using the word "please" often signals to the listener that we’re making a request, even if the sentence looks like a yes/no question. Some expressions are conventional (like "Can you please close the door?"), while others are more subtle or non-conventional (like "It’s cold in here" to suggest someone close the window).

In many cultures, indirectness is a way to be polite, especially when making requests or suggestions.

3. Hedging: Softening Our Speech

Hedging is when we use language that makes a statement less direct or more cautious. It helps express uncertainty or avoid sounding too strong. For example:

• "I think it might rain tomorrow" is softer than *"It will rain tomorrow."
• "This could be a useful method" sounds more open than *"This is the best method."

Linguist George Lakoff (1972) introduced the concept of hedges in his work on fuzzy concepts—those that aren't completely clear-cut. Words like "rather," "somewhat," "possibly," or "would" are common hedges.

In academic and cross-cultural communication, hedging shows respect for the listener's perspective. It’s especially important for second language learners to develop this skill to avoid sounding overly direct, which might come across as impolite or aggressive (Markkanen & Schröder, 2010).

4. Euphemism: Speaking Gently

Euphemism means using gentle or less direct words to talk about unpleasant or sensitive topics. For example:

• Instead of "He died," we say *"He passed away."
• Instead of "She's poor," we say *"She's experiencing financial hardship."

According to Hojati (2012), euphemisms can protect listeners from strong emotions or harsh realities. They are widely used in media and everyday life, but can sometimes be misleading—like when military reports say "collateral damage" instead of "civilian deaths."

Understanding euphemisms helps learners handle difficult topics with care and cultural sensitivity.

5. Cultural Nuances: False Friends, Proverbs, and Idioms

• False friends are words in two languages that look or sound alike but mean different things. For example, in Spanish, "embarazada" means "pregnant," not "embarrassed."
• Proverbs express cultural wisdom and are usually metaphorical. For example:
• "People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones"—don’t criticize others if you have similar faults.
• "All that glitters is not gold"—not everything shiny is valuable.
• Idioms are fixed expressions with meanings that can’t be guessed from the individual words:
• "Kick the bucket" = to die
• "By and large" = generally speaking
• "Take coals to Newcastle" = do something unnecessary

These expressions are essential for sounding natural in a second language, but they also carry cultural meanings that learners need to understand.

As bilingual teachers in training, developing your pragmatic awareness means being able to communicate not just correctly, but appropriately. Language isn’t just about grammar—it’s about relationships, emotions, and intentions. By understanding politeness, indirectness, hedging, euphemism, and cultural expressions, you’ll be better equipped to help your students become thoughtful and sensitive language users.

References

Austin, J. L. (1962). How to do things with words. Oxford University Press.

Hojati, A. (2012). A study of euphemisms in the context of English-speaking media. International Journal of Linguistics, 4(3), 560–5671.

KhirAllah, G. (2020). Sociolingüística y pragmática. MEBS01 Course Materials.

Lakoff, G. (1972). Hedges: A Study in Meaning Criteria and the Logic of Fuzzy Concepts. University of Chicago.

Leech, G. (1983). Principles of Pragmatics. Longman.

Markkanen, R., & Schröder, H. (2010). Hedging and discourse: Approaches to the analysis of a pragmatic phenomenon in academic texts. Walter de Gruyter.