Pragmatics in English
An Introduction

An accessible introduction to the key topics in theoretical pragmatics, including Grice, speech acts, relevance theory, and politeness.

Kate Scott (Author)

9781108799102, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 29 December 2022

250 pages
24.4 x 17.1 x 1.3 cm, 0.53 kg

'Scott has produced a masterful introduction to the major pragmatic theories from the latter half of the twentieth century. These are presented in a highly accessible way, using fresh examples that enliven the descriptions of these frameworks, and which make it clear how these theories are relevant to students today.' Anne Bezuidenhout, Professor of Philosophy & Linguistics, University of South Carolina

Pragmatics – the study of language in context, and of how we understand what other people say – is a core subject in English language, linguistics, and communication studies. This textbook introduces the key topics in this fast-moving field, including metaphor, irony, politeness, disambiguation, and reference assignment. It walks the reader through the essential theories in pragmatics, including Grice, relevance theory, speech act theory, and politeness theory. Each chapter includes a range of illustrative examples, guiding readers from the basic principles to a thorough understanding of the topics. A dedicated chapter examines how research is conducted in pragmatics, providing students with resources and ideas for developing their own projects. Featuring exercises, a comprehensive glossary, and suggestions for further reading, this book is accessible to beginner undergraduates, including those with no prior knowledge of linguistics. It is an essential resource for courses in English language, English studies, and linguistics.

List of figures
List of tables
Preface
Acknowledgements
1. What is pragmatics?
2. Speaker's meaning
3. Speech act theory
4. Gricean pragmatics
5. Pragmatics beyond grice
6. Relevance-theoretic pragmatics
7. Applying relevance theory
8. Figurative language
9. Politeness
10. Researching pragmatics
Glossary
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Semantics, discourse analysis, etc [CFG], Philosophy of language [CFA]