Ritual and Language

Drawing on a wide range of case studies, this pioneering book provides a cutting-edge introduction to ritual language use.

Dániel Z. Kádár (Author)

9781108472968, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 28 March 2024

262 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2 cm, 0.52 kg

'Kádár's definition and proposed approach to studying ritual, while anchored in pragmatics, shows promise as an approach that can reap far-reaching insights into interactional norms and thus would intrigue scholars working at the intersections of anthropology, sociology, and linguistics.' Sixian Hah, Language in Society

While ritual is often associated with phenomena such as ceremonies, cursing and etiquette, it actually encompasses something much more important: it includes all instances of communally oriented language use. As such, ritual manifests itself in many forms in our daily lives, such as politeness, swearing and humour, and in many different life situations, spanning trash talk in sports events, through market bargaining, to conventional social pleasantries. This pioneering book provides an introduction to ritual language use by providing a cutting-edge, language-anchored and replicable framework applicable for the study of ritual in different datatypes and languages. The framework is illustrated with a wealth of case studies drawn from Chinese and Anglophone rituals which demonstrate how to use it effectively. The book is essential reading for both academics and students, and is relevant to pragmatics, applied linguistics and other fields.

List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
Foreword
1. Introduction
Part I. The Language of Ritual: Foundations
2. Interaction Ritual – The Basics
3. Order in the Extraordinary – More on the Ritual Perspective
4. 'Politeness' in the Realm of The Overly Ordinary – Concluding Notes on The Ritual Perspective
Part II. Ritual Frame in Interaction: The Complex Interactional Features of Ritual
5. Mimesis
6. (Self-)Display
7. Liminality
Part III. Methodological issues
8. Methodological Take 1A: The Relationship Between Expressions and Ritual
9. Methodological Take 1B: The Relationship Between Speech Acts and Ritual
10. Methodological Take 2A: Capturing Ritual Practices
11. Methodological Take 2B: Describing Ritual Contexts
12. Conclusion
References
Notes
Index.

Subject Areas: Sociolinguistics [CFB]