THE ROLE OF CONTEXT IN INTERPRETING MEANING: A LINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Linguistics is the scientific study of language, its structure, functions, and use in human communication. Traditionally, linguistic research has examined different levels of language, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. However, understanding language requires more than analyzing its structural elements. It is also necessary to investigate how people use linguistic expressions in real communicative situations. The same sentence may convey different meanings depending on the circumstances in which it is produced, the relationship between speakers, and their communicative intentions. For example, the question “Can you open the window?” is grammatically an interrogative sentence, but in everyday communication, it commonly functions as a request rather than a question about someone's physical ability. This example illustrates the importance of context in linguistic interpretation. The relationship between language and context is particularly relevant to prag