CROSS-GENERATIONAL PRAGMATIC FAILURES IN THE MOVIE ‘THE INTERN’ (2015)

Abstract

In order to ensure successful communication in professional settings, pragmatic competence is essential. However, when interlocutors rely on distinct pragmatic standards, communication breakdowns can happen, especially when people from various generations are involved. This study examines how cross-generational pragmatic failure is portrayed in the 2015 movie The Intern, concentrating on interactions between Baby Boomer and Millennial characters at work. This study examines three carefully chosen scenes that demonstrate intergenerational communication in a modern organizational setting using a qualitative content analysis methodology. To find examples of pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic failure, the analysis is driven by Brown and Levinson's Politeness Theory, Grice's Cooperative Principle, and Relational Work Theory. Verbatim transcriptions of conversations were used to gather data, which were then methodically coded using a coding framework created by the researcher. The results point to a greater occurrence of sociopragmatic failure as compared to pragmalinguistic failure, primarily due to the lack of proper prognostications regarding formality/politeness/joke, communication etiquette, and medium compliance. Additionally, the data demonstrates that older and younger characters experience co-pragmatic failure arising from a lack of questions, presumed to signal a sociocultural ‘ply’ communication breakdown, rather than a ‘failure to communicate.’ The data also reiterates that failure is not only complex, opaque, and rigid, but that it is also pliable and results in a condition of reciprocity with the necessary ‘shifts’ from the involved parties. This research, by prioritising generational identity as a significant pragmatic variable and showcasing the discourse of the film as a pragmatic resource, contributes to the body of knowledge on sociolinguistics and pragmatics. The research also enhances pragmatic awareness as well as the understanding of the nature of communication and the dysfunctions across generations in contemporary workplaces.