Pragmatics

Social Communication Skills/Pragmatics: rules for how we use language in different situations and with different people 

Social communication includes three major skills: (1)using language for different reasons, (2)changing language for the listener or situation, (3) following rules for conversations and storytelling

 

• Makes others around us feel comfortable
• Make sure to avoid the extremes of being too loud or too quiet & using an appropriate middle range
• People use voice volume to make a judgments about a speaker
  • • Softer speakers are sometimes judged as meek or unconfident - lowered credibility 
    • Loud speakers may be seen as overbearing or annoying 

• Voice volume is a critical in social interaction
  • • a child who talks too loudly during interactions, their voice overpowering the conversation and negatively affecting their peer interactions
    • a child who doesn’t speak loud enough for their opinions and thoughts to be heard by others, affecting their ability to maintain peer interactions and social status.
• Learning how to use the expected voice volume, at the expected time, helps children be more empathetic (loud speakers) and more confident (soft speakers) and supports their social relationships by allowing their peers to feel comfortable around them and see them as a valuable part of the group