Pragmatics is the study of language in use, and looks at how we figure the meaning of something that hasn’t been stated (reading between the lines). Communication constantly relies on things like Presuppositions and Implications. Presuppositions are what we assume to be true or shared knowledge, and Implicatures are what we suggest without verbalizing it. These both are what cause misunderstandings when context isn’t clear, and since digital communication and media often lack tone and emotion, this only fuels the confusion. This response will compare how texting and Standard English handle pragmatics to show what differences lead to so much communication.

When it comes to texting, I don’t do it as frequently as I used to like in High School. However when I do, I use a lot of abbreviations like “r” instead of Are, “u” instead of You, Lmao, or “wya” instead of where are you. I don’t have the energy anymore to be texting all day, so I mainly use it just to ask about plans, talk to my parents or my boyfriend. I don’t focus on punctuation really when I’m informally texting so I would often just send a run-on sentence, unless I am angry with the person I am texting. When sending a serious message my punctuation would be 10’s across the board, just so I can show them I’m serious and mean business. When speaking to an older generation, usually my mom or my dad, I would use the crying laughing face emoji even though I don’t normally use it. What I do usually use is the crying emoji, but since my parents don’t text the way I do and we’re separated by age, I don’t want to confuse them with believing I am actually crying (which they’ll definitely assume)

It is so easy to misread or misinterpret what the other person is saying when you’re texting, which is why emojis are so useful to me. Texting gets rid of the essential face to face conversations that we normally use to understand intent. Texting “Sure.” is a perfect encapsulation of pragmatics. When we text, we have to rely heavily on implicature. A period after “sure” can imply coldness or anger towards the other person, even though the literal meaning is technically positive. Misunderstandings also come from different presuppositions. If you text “meet at the spot,” you presuppose the other person knows the”spot” you mean but if they’re picturing a different place mentally, the message fails. Ultimately, texting today clearly shows how much pragmatics shapes meaning, turning us into the detectives of punctuation and reading between the lines. But by removing traditional grammar and writing, it unfortunately creates major opportunities for miscommunication.