Anne O'Keeffe

Svenja Adolphs

Brian Clancy

Introducing Pragmatics in Use is a lively and accessible introduction to pragmatics, which both covers theory and applies it to real spoken and written data. Pragmatics is the study of language in context, yet most textbooks rely on invented language examples. This innovative textbook systematically draws on language corpora to illustrate features such as creativity in small talk or how we apologise in English. The authors investigate the pragmatic implications of the globalisation of the English language and focus on the applications of pragmatics for teaching languages. In addition, a practical chapter on researching pragmatics aimed at developing students' research skills is included. With a range of tasks aimed at putting theory into practice and chapter by chapter further reading recommendations, this is the ideal textbook for advanced undergraduate or postgraduate students of pragmatics and corpus linguistics within applied language/linguistics or TEFL/TESOL degrees.

Introducing Pragmatics in Use

Intimate discourse – that between couples, family and close friends in private, non-professional settings – lies at the heart of our everyday linguistic experience. It creates and sustains our closest relationships. Using an innovative blend of the community of practice model with a corpus linguistic methodology, Brian Clancy expertly reveals the patterns that characterise the shared linguistic repertoire of intimates. Corpus methods such as frequency and concordance are thoroughly introduced, exemplified and systematically employed in order to operationalise the concept of the community of practice in relation to intimate discourse. A half-million-word corpus of intimate data collected in various settings throughout Ireland provides the data for insights into patterns such as intimates’ use of pronouns, vocatives, taboo language and pragmatic markers. The intimate linguistic repertoire that emerges is shown to facilitate the delicate balance between our instinctive desire to be involved in the lives of those closest to us while at the same time recognising their need for privacy and non-imposition. Investigating Intimate Discourse will primarily be of interest to postgraduate students and researchers working in the area, and to those working in related areas such as discourse analysis, corpus linguistics, sociolinguistics and pragmatics. Advanced undergraduates taking modules in those subjects will also find the book useful.

Exploring the spoken interaction of families, couples and friends

Investigating Intimate Discourse

Introducing Pragmatics in Use is a lively and accessible introduction to pragmatics which both covers theory and applies it to real spoken and written data. This textbook systematically draws on a number of different language corpora and the corresponding software applications. Its primary focus is the application of a corpus methodology in order to examine core component areas such as deixis, politeness, speech acts, language variation and register. The main goal of the book is to contextualise pragmatics in the study of language through the analysis of different language contexts provided by spoken and written corpora. Substantially revised and updated, this second edition covers a wider range of topics, corpora and software packages. It consistently demonstrates the benefits of innovative analytical synergies and extends this to how corpus pragmatics can be further blended with, for example, conversation analysis or variational pragmatics. The second edition also offers a new chapter specifically dedicated to corpus pragmatics which proposes a framework for both form-to-function and function-to-form approaches. The book also addresses the – sometimes thorny – area of the integration of the teaching of pragmatics into the language classroom. All chapters in the second edition include a number of cohesive, step-by-step tasks that can be done in small groups in class or can be used as self-study resources. A wide range of illustrative language samples drawn from a number of English language corpora, coupled with instructive tasks and annotated further reading sections, make this an ideal textbook for advanced undergraduate or postgraduate students of pragmatics, discourse analysis and corpus linguistics within applied languages / linguistics or TESOL programmes.

Brian Clancy

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