DECODING THE DIGITAL SUBTEXT: A STUDY OF PRAGMATIC COMPETENCE—FROM DEIXIS TO SPEECH ACTS—IN SOCIAL MEDIA DISCOURSE

This study explores how meaning is constructed and interpreted in social media discourse through pragmatic competence, with particular emphasis on decoding digital subtext. It focuses on how deixis and speech acts function as key pragmatic mechanisms for expressing both explicit and implicit meanings in online communication. In digital platforms, users frequently rely on context-dependent expressions, indirect language, and multimodal cues such as emojis and hashtags to convey intended meanings. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to examine pragmatic features in social media interactions. The analysis is based on pragmatic and discourse analytical frameworks, particularly speech act theory and deixis theory. The findings show that person and temporal deixis are the most commonly used forms, while expressive speech acts dominate online communication. The study also reveals that irony, indirectness, and contextual signals are widely used to convey subtext and implied meanings. The research demonstrates that pragmatic competence is essential for interpreting hidden meanings in social media discourse, where meaning is highly context-dependent and often constructed beyond literal language.本研究旨在探讨语用能力（pragmatic competence）视角下社交媒体话语的意义建构与解读路径，并特别聚焦数字语境下潜台词的解码过程。本研究聚焦于指示语（deixis）与言语行为（speech acts）如何作为核心语用机制，实现在线交流中显性与隐性意义的传递。在数字平台中，用户常借助语境依赖型表达、间接性语言以及表情符号（emojis）、话题标签（hashtags）等多模态线索来传递预期含义。本研究采用质性描述性研究方法，对社交媒体互动中的语用特征展开分析。本分析依托语用学与话语分析框架，尤其以言语行为理论（speech act theory）与指示语理论（deixis theory）为核心支撑。研究结果显示，人称指示语与时间指示语是最常用的指示类型，而表达型言语行为（expressive speech acts）则是在线交流中的主流语用形式。本研究同时发现，反讽、间接表达与语境信号被广泛用于传递潜台词与隐含意义。本研究证实，语用能力是解读社交媒体话语中隐藏意义的核心要素——这类话语的意义高度依赖语境，且往往超越字面语言得以建构。