#1 A good school? (Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Rashid are both parents of students in the district where Mrs. Thomas also teaches.)
Mrs. Thomas: Johnny has Mr. Smith as a teacher next year. I hear he is an excellent teacher.
Mrs. Rashid: He's very nice.
Mrs. T: Are you happy with the school district?
Mrs. Rashid: There are many lovely people in the neighborhood.
Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Rashid have two different outlooks on the conversation. Mrs. Thomas, as a teacher, is referring to the school and educational aspects, whereas Mrs. Rashid is referring to the personality of the teacher and people in the community. The miscommunication begins when Mrs. Thomas states that Mr. Smith is an excellent teacher. She is implying that he teaches well and Mrs. Rashid is thinking about his personality as a nice individual. When asking about the school district, Mrs. Rashid misinterprets the question as concerning the community in general. Mrs. Rashid probably felt that her answer was appropriate and this is an example of pragmatics and how the intended meaning can be confused.
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