Pragmatics in Human–Computer Interaction: A Systematic Literature Review

Pragmatics in human–computer interaction (HCI) has attracted growing scholarly attention in recent years. However, a comprehensive synthesis of the extant literature that reveals research trends and proposes future directions is still missing. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review of 51 relevant studies retrieved through database searches in Web of Science, ACM Digital Library, and IEEE Xplore. Our analysis identifies four important themes, including (a) evaluation of LLMs’ pragmatic capabilities; (b) application of the Cooperative Principle in HCI; (c) pragmatic strategies adopted by both humans and computers in HCI; and (d) pragmatic behaviors of L2 learners in HCI. Based on these findings, we summarize the practical implications for system design and user experience. Finally, we discuss current challenges and offer recommendations for future research on pragmatics in HCI.