Description

Book Synopsis

This innovative, comprehensive course textbook uses a clinical approach to explore pragmatics and pragmatic language skills.

Drawing on authentic, real-life examples of pragmatic breakdown in children and adults who have developmental or acquired language disorders, Louise Cummings expertly guides readers to core insights and principles for understanding where context and meaning in human communication meet. Key features include:

  • Chapter-opening learning objectives and chapter-closing summaries
  • Authentic illustrative cases of atypical pragmatic interaction
  • Exercises for checking knowledge and understanding
  • Annotated recommended further reading
  • A detailed glossary of important terms in pragmatics and clinical linguistics

Aimed equally at undergraduate and graduate students who are coming to pragmatics for the first time, the text discusses the key issues and concepts of this field in a fascinating new way. With a comm

Trade Review

"Comprehensive, innovative, and easy-to-use, Introducing Pragmatics is an indispensable resource for scientists and students interested in how real-life pragmatic language failures shape our understanding of effective communication. Not only does the textbook contain a wealth of material on theory and experimental studies, but also wide-ranging topics from a multi-disciplinary perspective."

Professor Elly Ifantidou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece



Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: Speech acts

1.1 Introduction

1.2 How to realise a speech act

1.3 A new approach to meaning

1.4 Happy and unhappy performatives

1.5 Explicit and implicit performatives

1.6 Saying and doing

1.7 Searle on speech acts

1.8 Indirect speech acts

Suggestions for further reading

Questions

Chapter 2: Implicatures

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Grice and the cooperative principle

2.3 The cooperative principle and implicatures

2.4 Types of implicature

2.5 Properties of implicatures

2.6 Relevance theory

Suggestions for further reading

Questions

Chapter 3: Presuppositions

3.1 Introduction

3.2 The economic rationale for presupposition

3.3 Presupposition triggers

3.4 Properties of presuppositions

3.5 Presuppositions in the real world

Suggestions for further reading

Questions

Chapter 4: Deixis

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Person and social deixis

4.3 Place deixis

4.4 Time deixis

4.5 Discourse deixis

4.6 Anaphora

Suggestions for further reading

Questions

Chapter 5: Figurative language

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Idioms

5.3 Metaphors

5.4 Irony

5.5 Hyperbole

5.6 Proverbs

Suggestions for further reading

Questions

Chapter 6: Politeness

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Brown and Levinson on politeness

6.3 Politeness and face in clinical settings

6.4 Criticisms of Brown and Levinson

Suggestions for further reading

Questions

Chapter 7: Topic management

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Topic management in clinical settings

7.2.1 Topic selection

7.2.2 Topic introduction

7.2.3 Topic development

7.2.4 Topic termination

7.3 Analysing topic management in conversation

7.4 Analysing topic management in narration

Suggestions for further reading

Questions

Chapter 8: Clinical pragmatics

8.1 Introduction

8.2 The communication cycle

8.3 Cognition and the communication cycle

8.4 Theory of mind

8.5 Executive function

Suggestions for further reading

Questions

Answers

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

Appendix

Introducing Pragmatics

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    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Wed 24 Jun 2026.

    A Paperback by Louise Cummings

    15 in stock


      View other formats and editions of Introducing Pragmatics by Louise Cummings

      Publisher: Taylor & Francis
      Publication Date: 6/23/2023 12:00:00 AM
      ISBN13: 9781032011806, 978-1032011806
      ISBN10: 1032011807

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      This innovative, comprehensive course textbook uses a clinical approach to explore pragmatics and pragmatic language skills.

      Drawing on authentic, real-life examples of pragmatic breakdown in children and adults who have developmental or acquired language disorders, Louise Cummings expertly guides readers to core insights and principles for understanding where context and meaning in human communication meet. Key features include:

      • Chapter-opening learning objectives and chapter-closing summaries
      • Authentic illustrative cases of atypical pragmatic interaction
      • Exercises for checking knowledge and understanding
      • Annotated recommended further reading
      • A detailed glossary of important terms in pragmatics and clinical linguistics

      Aimed equally at undergraduate and graduate students who are coming to pragmatics for the first time, the text discusses the key issues and concepts of this field in a fascinating new way. With a comm

      Trade Review

      "Comprehensive, innovative, and easy-to-use, Introducing Pragmatics is an indispensable resource for scientists and students interested in how real-life pragmatic language failures shape our understanding of effective communication. Not only does the textbook contain a wealth of material on theory and experimental studies, but also wide-ranging topics from a multi-disciplinary perspective."

      Professor Elly Ifantidou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece



      Table of Contents

      Acknowledgements

      Preface

      Introduction

      Chapter 1: Speech acts

      1.1 Introduction

      1.2 How to realise a speech act

      1.3 A new approach to meaning

      1.4 Happy and unhappy performatives

      1.5 Explicit and implicit performatives

      1.6 Saying and doing

      1.7 Searle on speech acts

      1.8 Indirect speech acts

      Suggestions for further reading

      Questions

      Chapter 2: Implicatures

      2.1 Introduction

      2.2 Grice and the cooperative principle

      2.3 The cooperative principle and implicatures

      2.4 Types of implicature

      2.5 Properties of implicatures

      2.6 Relevance theory

      Suggestions for further reading

      Questions

      Chapter 3: Presuppositions

      3.1 Introduction

      3.2 The economic rationale for presupposition

      3.3 Presupposition triggers

      3.4 Properties of presuppositions

      3.5 Presuppositions in the real world

      Suggestions for further reading

      Questions

      Chapter 4: Deixis

      4.1 Introduction

      4.2 Person and social deixis

      4.3 Place deixis

      4.4 Time deixis

      4.5 Discourse deixis

      4.6 Anaphora

      Suggestions for further reading

      Questions

      Chapter 5: Figurative language

      5.1 Introduction

      5.2 Idioms

      5.3 Metaphors

      5.4 Irony

      5.5 Hyperbole

      5.6 Proverbs

      Suggestions for further reading

      Questions

      Chapter 6: Politeness

      6.1 Introduction

      6.2 Brown and Levinson on politeness

      6.3 Politeness and face in clinical settings

      6.4 Criticisms of Brown and Levinson

      Suggestions for further reading

      Questions

      Chapter 7: Topic management

      7.1 Introduction

      7.2 Topic management in clinical settings

      7.2.1 Topic selection

      7.2.2 Topic introduction

      7.2.3 Topic development

      7.2.4 Topic termination

      7.3 Analysing topic management in conversation

      7.4 Analysing topic management in narration

      Suggestions for further reading

      Questions

      Chapter 8: Clinical pragmatics

      8.1 Introduction

      8.2 The communication cycle

      8.3 Cognition and the communication cycle

      8.4 Theory of mind

      8.5 Executive function

      Suggestions for further reading

      Questions

      Answers

      Glossary

      Bibliography

      Index

      Appendix

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