Some of the criticisms directed at pragmatics include these:
- It does not have a clear-cut focus
- Its principles are vague and fuzzy
- It is redundant - semantics already covers the territory adequately
In defending pragmatics we can say that:
- The study of speech acts has illuminated social language interactions
- It covers things that semantics (hitherto) has overlooked
- It can help inform strategies for teaching language
- It has given new insights into understanding literature
- The theories of the cooperative principle and politeness principle have provided insights into person-to-person interactions.
