Pragmatic
pragmatics (noun), pragmatic (adjective) — from Greek pragma (πρᾶγμα), "deed, act, thing done" (< prassein, "to do, to act")
In rhetoric and linguistics, relating to the real-world effects of language on an audience, as distinct from its literal or grammatical meaning.
The pragmatic effects of a rhetorical device are what it does — how it shapes the listener's beliefs, emotions, attitudes, or actions in a concrete communicative situation. Underpinned by the concept of language as action (see: speech act theory; Austin, 1962), and by the philosophical tradition of pragmatism (Peirce, 19th c.), which holds that the meaning of any expression lies in its practical consequences.
For example, a rhetorical question such as "Are we really going to let this happen?" has a literal meaning as a binary yes/no question. However, its pragmatic effect is to create a sense of urgency and shared responsibility in the audience — it is not genuinely seeking an answer, but implicating the listener in a shared moral obligation.
