Sometimes, the external context is so subtle we fail to even recognize it. I think this was nicely described by Dr. Deborah Tannen, Ph.D., in her book, That's not what I meant!
She describes how pragmatic confusions between genders can lead to terrible and unnecessary arguments. Here is one that always catches me.
My wife comes home from work (she teaches professional wrestling at the Simi Valley Cultural Center) and mentions how distraught she is because they keep giving her the poorest athletes, while at the same time evaluating her on their overall performance.
I develop a brilliant and detailed plan to enable her to reverse the problem. But when I outline it to her she gets irate and says ‹Butt out!Š
NOTES: Here is some information on gender talk differences.
NOTES: Dr. Tannen and Pragmatics.
NOTES: Dr. Tannen and the Speaker's Bureau.
NOTES: You just don't understand women by Dr.Tannen