Communicating with Speakers and Listeners of Different Pragmatic Levels

TL;DR

This study investigates how differences in pragmatic reasoning levels affect communication success, emphasizing the benefits of explicit language learning and integrating pragmatic reasoning throughout the learning process.

Contribution

It introduces a simulation framework to analyze pragmatic level mismatches and demonstrates the advantages of explicit language learning and pragmatic reasoning integration.

Findings

Learning from explicit, literal language improves communication regardless of pragmatic level.

Matching reasoning levels enhances communicative success.

Incorporating pragmatic reasoning during learning boosts overall communication performance.

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of variable pragmatic competence on communicative success through simulating language learning and conversing between speakers and listeners with different levels of reasoning abilities. Through studying this interaction, we hypothesize that matching levels of reasoning between communication partners would create a more beneficial environment for communicative success and language learning. Our research findings indicate that learning from more explicit, literal language is advantageous, irrespective of the learner's level of pragmatic competence. Furthermore, we find that integrating pragmatic reasoning during language learning, not just during evaluation, significantly enhances overall communication performance. This paper provides key insights into the importance of aligning reasoning levels and incorporating pragmatic reasoning in optimizing communicative interactions.