LANGUAGE AND THE HUMAN FACTOR: THE ESSENCE OF THE PRAGMATIC APPROACH

This article is devoted to the study of pragmatics as one of the most important branches of modern linguistics. While semantics investigates the meaning of linguistic units and syntax deals with their structural relations, pragmatics focuses on the human factor in language use, exploring how communicative intentions, social context, and psychological aspects shape the functioning of linguistic signs. The paper discusses the object of pragmatics, which is defined as the interrelation between language, speaker, listener, and communicative situation. Special attention is given to its key concepts such as communicative situation, deixis, speech acts, presupposition, and implicature. These categories reveal how language goes beyond formal meaning, acquiring additional pragmatic layers depending on context, intention, and interaction. Furthermore, the article emphasizes the practical significance of pragmatics in different domains: analysis of literary texts, political discourse, media communication, advertising strategies, language teaching (linguodidactics), and digital communication, particularly in social networks. Pragmatics not only contributes to a better understanding of the expressive and functional potential of language but also demonstrates its role as a social and cultural phenomenon.