Joan is eating lunch, and she says to Brad, "Can you pass the salt?" Brad replies "Yes, I can"; however, he doesn't actually pass the salt. What kind of miscommunication does this brief conversation suggest?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Brad's response indicates a pragmatic problem, where his literal interpretation of Joan's request fails to recognize the implied action she expected. Pragmatics involves understanding the intended meaning or action behind words used in communication, beyond their literal meaning.

Joan Is Eating Lunch, and She Says to Brad, "Can