Summing up, Pragmatics: A slim guide is a valuable tool for anyone interested in the study of pragmatics.

Nicolas Ruytenbeek, Ghent University, Linguist List

Just what a slim guide should be: brisk, authoritative, even-handed, accessible, entertaining. Birner deftly traverses the theoretical and empirical landscape of contemporary pragmatics from (non-)literality to speech acts, from presupposition to implicature, from reference to information structure, enlivened at each stop with illustrative data from Poe's tales to political innuendo.

Laurence R. Horn, Yale University

Combining elegant exposition and well-chosen examples, this book serves not only to introduce the study of pragmatics to a new audience, but also to shed new light on several widely-discussed topics.

Chris Cummins, University of Edinburgh

This book offers a concise but comprehensive entry-level guide to the study of meaning in context. There can be a big difference between what a speaker says and what they mean - i.e. between literal meaning and intended meaning. A speaker who says I need coffee can mean anything from 'Please buy more coffee' to 'I'm really sleepy'. How is a hearer to know? In this book, Betty Birner explores how we get from what is said to what is meant, from the perspective of both the speaker and the hearer, dealing with a range of context-dependent issues in language along the way: literal and non-literal meaning, implicature, speech acts, reference, definiteness, presupposition, and information structure. She reveals how language users can infer each other's meanings using not just what is being said but also the context and an assumption of rationality and cooperation. This slim guide summarizes the most important and foundational theories in the field of linguistic pragmatics, illustrated with plenty of real-life examples, and including a helpful glossary of key terms. Written in a lively and accessible style, the book will appeal to a wide range of readers, from undergraduate and graduate students of pragmatics to general readers interested in how we successfully communicate with one another.
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This book offers a concise but comprehensive entry-level guide to the study of meaning in context. Betty Birner explores how we understand the difference between the literal meaning of what is said and what was intended by the speaker, using a wide range of real-life examples.
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1: Introduction 2: Literal vs. non-literal meaning 3: Implicature 4: Speech acts 5: Reference 6: Definiteness and anaphora 7: Presupposition 8: Information structure 9: New directions 10: Conclusion Glossary
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A clear and accessible approach to pragmatics Summarizes the most important and foundational theories in the field Provides real-life examples that show how language is used in its natural context Contains a glossary of key terms
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Betty J. Birner is a Professor of Linguistics and Cognitive Science in the Department of English at Northern Illinois University. Her previous books include Information Status and Noncanonical Word Order in English (with Gregory Ward; Benjamins 1998), Introduction to Pragmatics (Wiley-Blackwell 2013), and Language and Meaning (Routledge 2018). Her research focuses on pragmatics and information structure.
Les mer
A clear and accessible approach to pragmatics Summarizes the most important and foundational theories in the field Provides real-life examples that show how language is used in its natural context Contains a glossary of key terms
Les mer

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780198828594
Publisert
2021
Utgiver
Vendor
Oxford University Press
Vekt
234 gr
Høyde
11 mm
Bredde
135 mm
Dybde
217 mm
Aldersnivå
U, 05
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
192

Forfatter

Biografisk notat

Betty J. Birner is a Professor of Linguistics and Cognitive Science in the Department of English at Northern Illinois University. Her previous books include Information Status and Noncanonical Word Order in English (with Gregory Ward; Benjamins 1998), Introduction to Pragmatics (Wiley-Blackwell 2013), and Language and Meaning (Routledge 2018). Her research focuses on pragmatics and information structure.