When Jesse First Met Nicolette, He Extended His Hand and Said

When Jesse first met Nicolette, he extended his hand and said warmly, "Nice to meet you." In response, Nicolette sighed, rolled her eyes, and simply said, "Yah," in a very sarcastic tone. Jesse inferred that Nicolette was not excited about meeting him, based on her reaction. On which rule of language did Jesse likely base his decision?

A) phonological rule
B) syntactic rule
C) semantic rule
D) pragmatic rule