Pragmatic Language Skills

Source: Colorado Guidelines for Speech/Language Impairments Pragmatic Language List ED – 4072 / 2003

Pragmatics is an important part of linguistics and addresses how language is used to communicate meaning, how conversational partners choose what to say; how the listener interprets and understands what is communicated and the role played by non-linguistic factors, including the social context. Here is a break down of the many components that make up Pragmatics

Nonverbal Communication.

• Looks at the eyes of person speaking with
• Uses facial expressions appropriate to content of words
• Understands the facial expressions of others and responds appropriately
• Understands the emotions of others and responds appropriately
• Recognizes nonverbal cues and gestures (body language)
• Acts at an age-appropriate level
• Recognizes the - spatial relationship between people or objects and self: stands the appropriate distances from others; has sense of size/weight of things
• Refrains from making inappropriate noises

Expressive Skills

• Speaks clearly (does not mumble)
• Speaks with varied and appropriate tone and volume
• Is able to take another person’s perspective
• Does not ramble on one topic, as if unaware of other’s interest
• Understands sarcasm
• Understands and uses metaphor appropriately
• Can let go of an argument, even if the other person does not agree
• Understands own internal state and can respond to inquiries about self with more than “I don’t know”

Conversational Skills—Topic Maintenance

• Chooses a topic appropriate to setting
• Introduces and discusses topic clearly
• Expresses relevant information and expresses it concisely
• Maintains a topic in conversation
• Changes topics appropriately
• Understands how to tailor conversation to audience—e.g., peers versus teachers

Conversational Skills—Turn Taking

• Takes turns in conversation—does not monopolize
• Attends to listener’s comprehension and attention to what he/she is saying
• Is appropriate when interrupting both peers and adults
• Waits to be called on or acknowledged before speaking in class or a group
• Appropriately asks a speaker to clarify comments made
• Is flexible when there is a change in topic

Speech Conventions

• Introduces self appropriately to others
• Uses appropriate conversational pleasantries (greetings, apologies~ responses to others)
• Makes him/herself available for conversation (is approachable)
• Talks “to” people, not “at” them
• Asks for help when needed
• Initiates original (nonredundant) conversation

Peer Skills

• Establishes and maintains appropriate friendships
• Refrains from making fun of others
• Welcomes others to join group
• Offers and accepts criticism appropriately
• Offers and accepts compliments appropriately
• Uses appropriate slang with peers
• Demonstrates empathy
• Seems confident in same and opposite sex interactions
• Responds to verbal conflicts appropriately
• Compromises and negotiates appropriately
• Can let another “win” an argument
• Listens to another person’s perspective without having to impose own

Other

• Recognizes and expresses own emotions
• Does not blame others for own issues or feelings
• Demonstrates remorse when appropriate
• Assertively deals with peer pressure
• Respects the hierarchy of a school or other setting
• Cares what others think of him/her
• Can understand the purpose of rules, even when doesn’t agree

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PRAGMATIC LANGUAGE CHECKLIST

I. INTERACTIONAL SKILLS

A. Sequential Organization

1. Openings—establish eye contact
2. Initiation—speaking to person
3. Attending to Speaker—attentive listener
4. Appropriate Responding—answering questions
5. Speaker Selection—acknowledging another as speaker in group
6. Appropriate Interruptions—“excuse me”
7. Closings—appropriately

1. Establishing Topic—indirectly suggesting a subject of shared interest
2. Maintaining Topic—participating
3. Back channeling—small words used to indicate they are listening (“oh”, “I see”)
4. Accompaniments—request to continue topic of conversation
5. Conversational Questions—to initiate and maintain conversation
6. Sequencing—ability to follow temporal events/order of subject importance
7. Chunking—conjunctions
8. Signaling Topic Shifts—closing topic

C. Repair

1. Clarification—request or giving more detailed information

D. Roles

1. Politeness Markers/Tact—don’t impose on listener
2. Communication Distance
3. Register Shifts—switch codes as needed; relate to audience

II. INTENTS

A. Requests

1. Yes/No Questions
2. WH Questions
3. Action Requests
4. Permission requests
5. Object Requests

B. Responses

1. Yes/No Answers
2. WH Answers
3. Agreements
4. Compliances—comply with or refusing to comply
5. Qualifications—supplying unexpected information
6. Imitations—part or whole repetitions of prior utterances

C. Descriptions

1. Greetings
2. Identifications—labeling object, person, event, situation
3. Possessions—indicating ownership
4. Events—actions, processes described
5. Properties—observable traits or conditions of objects, events, situations
6. Locations—location or direction of an object or event
7. Times—times are reported

D. Statements

1. Rules—express rules, conventional procedures, analyze facts, definitions or clarifications
2. Evaluations—impressions, attitudes, judgments about objects, events, situations
3. Internal Reports—emotions, sensations, mental events, including intents to perform future acts
4. Attributions—beliefs about another’s internal state, capacity or intents
5. Predicting—beliefs about future actions, events, situations
6. Explanations—reasons, causes, predictions
7. Hypothesizing—attempt to explain assumptions or verifiable future facts

E. Acknowledgments

1. Acceptances—neutrally recognize answers or non-requests
2. Approval/Agreements—positively recognize answers or non-requests
3. Disapproval/Disagreements—negatively evaluates answers or nonrequests

F. Performatives

1. Role-Plays—establish a fantasy
2. Protests—object to listeners previous behavior
3. Game-Markers—initiate, maintain, or end a game
4. Jokes
5. Claims—establish rights by being said (“that’s my cookie”)
6. Warnings—alert listener to impending harm
7. Teases—annoy, provoke, taunt

G. Miscellaneous

1. Uninterpretable—unintelligible, incomplete, or anomalous utterances
2. Exclamations—emotional reactions