When Jesse First Met Nicolette, He Extended His Hand and Said

Multiple Choice

When Jesse first met Nicolette, he extended his hand and said warmly, "Nice to meet you." In response, Nicolette sighed, rolled her eyes, and simply said, "Yah," in a very sarcastic tone. Jesse inferred from her reaction that Nicolette was not excited about meeting him. On which rule of language did Jesse likely base his interpretation?

A) phonological rule
B) syntactic rule
C) semantic rule
D) pragmatic rule