ABSTRACT
This chapter examines in more detail how human beings tailor their use of language to fit the real-life situations in which they find themselves, in order to get their meanings across. It focuses at some of the theoretical notions which are central to pragmatics, then we shall move on to consider how we use French to say what we mean and to do what we want to achieve in the real world. The chapter argues how the context of an utterance, the scope of which includes the speaker, the social and physical setting, and the actual language used and the wider cultural setting, all contribute very significantly to the meaning of that utterance. The pragmatic level of linguistic competence is often overlooked in language-teaching programmes, despite the obvious difficulties which it causes for learners. In overcoming these difficulties, language learners can develop sensitivity to the subtler aspects of communication and improve their communication skills all round.
