Interpreting Meaning in the Digital Age: Teaching and Learning Semantics and Pragmatics in Multilingual Philippine Classrooms

This qualitative descriptive study explored teachers’ and multilingual students’ perceptions, experiences, and practices concerning semantic and pragmatic meaning-making in multilingual Philippine classrooms shaped by digitally mediated communication. Fifteen participants, comprising five teachers and 10 students, were purposively selected based on their direct experience with teaching, learning, and using language in multilingual and digital contexts. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and relevant classroom-related information and analyzed using thematic analysis. The analysis was organized around three predetermined domains: Teaching and Learning of Meaning, Multilingual Meaning-Making, and Digital Meaning-Making. Three major themes emerged: Context as the Basis for Interpreting Meaning, Multilingual Resources as Tools for Meaning Construction, and Meaning Beyond Words in Digital Communication. Findings revealed that participants interpreted meanings by considering context, communicative purpose, and interactional cues. English, Filipino, and Cebuano were flexibly used to construct and negotiate meaning, while emojis, memes, punctuation, humor, and sarcasm contributed to meaning in digital communication. The study recommends integrating authentic digital texts, explicitly teaching contextual and pragmatic interpretation, and recognizing learners’ multilingual repertoires in semantics and pragmatics instruction.