When four-year-old Methuselah sees an elderly gentleman enter a store, he screams, "Mommy, look at that old man who looks like he should be dead!" The fact that Methuselah does not yet realize that such statements are socially inappropriate indicates that he lacks a complete understanding of the _____ of language.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Pragmatics refers to the understanding of the functional use of language in social situations. Methuselah's statement is an example of a pragmatic error, as he does not realize that such a comment could be hurtful or inappropriate in certain contexts. Semantics refers to the meaning of words, syntax refers to the grammatical structure of sentences, and prosody refers to the intonation and rhythm of speech. While all of these components are important for language comprehension, they do not fully explain Methuselah's pragmatic error.

When Four-Year-Old Methuselah Sees an Elderly Gentleman Enter a Store