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← Language & CommunicationDuring a negotiation, negotiator A subtly threatens negotiator B's professional reputation—which effect dominates in interpreting this communication?
A)Semantic analysis overrides pragmatic interpretation
B)Literal meaning accurately conveys the message
C)Syntactic complexity obscures speaker intent
D)Pragmatic inference interprets indirect speech acts✓
💡 Explanation
Pragmatic inference dominates because subtle threats rely on interpreting the speaker's implied intentions and contextual cues, therefore, negotiator B understands the threat via implicature and face-saving politeness strategies rather than simply the literal meaning of the words.
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