How does pragmatics differ from semantics?

Pragmatics and semantics are two branches of linguistics that study the meaning of language. While both fields are concerned with meaning, they approach it from different perspectives.

Semantics focuses on the literal meaning of words, phrases, and sentences. It examines how words and their combinations convey specific meanings and how these meanings can be represented in a formal system. Semantics is concerned with the relationship between language and the world, aiming to understand how language reflects reality.

On the other hand, pragmatics goes beyond the literal meaning and explores how context, social factors, and speaker intentions influence the interpretation of language. Pragmatics studies how meaning is constructed in real-life situations, taking into account the speaker's intentions, the listener's inferences, and the shared knowledge between them. It investigates how language users use context, tone, gestures, and other non-linguistic cues to convey meaning effectively.

In summary, while semantics focuses on the literal meaning of language, pragmatics examines how meaning is influenced by context, social factors, and speaker intentions. Semantics deals with the relationship between language and reality, while pragmatics explores how language is used in real-life situations to achieve communicative goals.