Week 3: Post #2

2). Consider the pragmatic perspective. Does it make sense to think of communication as patterned interaction? How is communication like a game? How is it different from a game?

According to the textbook, the pragmatic perspective "consists of a system of interlocking, interdependent behaviors that become patterned over time".  According to this perspective, we become predictable players in a game of communication.  This means we result to familiar "moves" or predictable behavior while interacting with others.  For example, many people might have a friend who isn't the best listener.  You might attempt to talk to this friend about an issue you may have, and this friend always manages to make the conversation about them.  Another predictable move might be an uncomfortable joke that is always told at some point during a conversation.  Using this perspective, we would assume that we could predict every interaction before it happens.  I don't think this is completely accurate because this perspective seems just too superficial.  I like to believe that my interactions with people that I am closest with require cognition, not just the typical move.  This is where the predictable behaviors don't happen and this show that the perspective is unlike the game.