Which term refers to the view that language use is shaped by social context?

• A. Interactionist
• B. Structuralist
• C. Pragmatics
• D. Transformationalist

Answer: (C)

Pragmatics is the study of language use in real situations, focusing on how context, speaker intention, and social norms shape meaning. For example, the sentence "Could you pass the salt?" is understood as a request, not just a question about ability, because the social context and communicative goal influence how it’s interpreted. This emphasis on how meaning arises from use in social interaction makes pragmatics the best label for the view that language use is shaped by social context. In contrast, structuralist approaches focus on language system and syntax, transformationalist approaches on the rules generating sentence forms, and interactionist theories on learning through social interaction rather than context-driven interpretation.