Pragmatics in Context: Media, Culture, and Power

Language is never produced in a vacuum; it is deeply entangled with societal structures and power dynamics. This area of pragmatics teaches students to analyze how language is utilized by institutions—such as governments, news media, and corporations—to construct reality and maintain control. The choice of pragmatic structures in the media is highly intentional. For example, an interviewer might use direct, face-threatening interrogations to assert dominance, while a politician might continuously flout the maxim of relevance to dodge accountability. The media uses presupposition triggers to shape public opinion without stating things outright.