Pragmatic Intuition as Internalized Pragmatic Competence

Abstract

Pragmatic intuition is a keen sense of language, especially the use of language. Pragmatic competence is the ability to use language to express and comprehend in a specific context. This paper aims to demonstrate that the core part of language intuition is pragmatic intuition, which is essentially a kind of pragmatic competence and an internalized expression of pragmatic competence. Pragmatic intuition can be reflected in a language user’s intuitive interpretation of conversational implicature, understanding of preconceptions, control of speech acts, and conscious adherence to or deliberate violation of many pragmatic principles. It can also enable communicators to detect and correct deviations and errors in speech almost instinctively and instantaneously. When contextual involvement is necessary, it seems to be able to automatically select the most relevant context, helping communicators express and understand language correctly and appropriately, and ultimately to achieve communicative success.