Pragmatics examines language in context and how meaning depends on the circumstances in which language is used. It is an important field in language learning. Pragmatics deals with the expectations of the intended audience and examines how language conveys attitudes. Different cultures use different linguistic strategies depending on the goal of the communication, such as being polite, appropriate, or persuasive. It is important for translators and editors to understand the purpose of a message and how to phrase it for the target audience. The author's master's thesis applied an interactional framework typically used in academic writing to compare the use of linguistic devices in British and American media texts. The study aimed to provide insight into how cultural and genre demands influence linguistic choices.

1. Pragmatics is what examines language in context; not only what is said but most
importantly how something is said. It has been shown in academic research that
Pragmatics is a field of linguistics which becomes more and more important in
language learning/training.
Pragmatics deals with that aspect of language which reveals the expectations
and the understandings for the audience for which a text has been written (and
then translated and/or edited). It examines words and phrases that manifest the
attitude of the participant towards the addressee but also towards the message
and this in any type of conversation. The communicative discourse features that
characterise speech acts (such as requests, suggestions, rejections,
disagreements etc) become important.
Attitudes and cultural values are conveyed through the use of language. Different
cultures call for different linguistic strategies (one can think of contexts where
politeness, appropriateness, persuasiveness or all these together are the goal of
communication). It is of great importance for a translator or editor to recognise
the purpose of the message and be able to phrase the message in a perspective
compatible with this of the target audience and choose the correct phrases that
will contribute to their purpose. Cross-cultural Pragmatics deals with the
knowledge of cultural assumptions that would work towards the satisfaction of
the audience’s demands and expectations. These are conveyed in the use of –
among other things – interactional linguistic devices. Such devices constitute part
of the language practitioners’ linguistic tools, and differ according to genre,
message and audience. The rhetorical purpose of any text is subject to
Pragmatics conventions and/or restrictions.
In my Master thesis I used an interactional framework widely examined in
academic writing and applied it to media discourse, comparing the British and
American varieties of English. My study adds information to the already existing
literature on contrastive studies and on genre studies and can serve as
background for language practitioners, who work with different languages or
language varieties in various genres, especially media genres. My academic
approach complements the communication research fields with a linguistic
perspective. Such an approach can be applied on the training of L2 but also L1
students in order to raise awareness not only of the cultural differences, but also
of where and how these interact with genre expectations, topic and particular
informative and persuasive functions. In other words it raises awareness of the
decisive factors for linguistic choices in each genre.
The purpose of my thesis was to gain insight into restrictions that delineate the
use and function of interactional linguistic devices, generated by either the
language variety’s cultural demands or the demands of the genre. My study’s
primary material was comprised of different text types from popular magazines,
including both monological (editorials) as well as dialogical (Question-Answer
columns) discourses, which obey to different Pragmatic restrictions. This is
applicable generally in media genres, where a wide readership is addressed and
highly involved.