Khan speaks to his friends using different words and tones than when he speaks to his teacher. This is an example of
A) syntax.
B) pragmatics.
C) phonology.
D) semantics.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Pragmatics refers to the study of how people use language in specific situations and how meanings can change depending on the context. In this case, Khan is adjusting his language use based on the social context of speaking with friends versus speaking with a teacher. This demonstrates an understanding of the pragmatics of language use. Syntax (A) refers to the rules of sentence structure, phonology (C) refers to the study of sounds in language, and semantics (D) refers to the meaning of words and sentences. While all of these are important aspects of language, they do not fully capture the concept being described in the question.

Khan Speaks to His Friends Using Different Words and Tones