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  • Pragmatics: The Basics by Billy Clark book cover
  • Pragmatics: The Basics by Billy Clark book cover
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Pragmatics: The Basics

by Billy Clark

How meaning changes with context

$36.88 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

How meaning changes with context

Billy Clark’s introduction maps pragmatics across its history, contemporary theories, applications, and possible future directions. Examples including campaign posters and song lyrics show how direct and indirect meanings are conveyed, while discussion of verbal, nonverbal, and multimodal communication examines why words or behaviour can carry different meanings in different contexts. Politeness is also part of the picture. Chapter-end questions, further reading, highlighted terminology, and a glossary give the book a clear study-oriented structure, alongside its account of key ideas developed from and beyond Paul Grice’s work.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Beginning students of English language or linguistics
  • Readers seeking an introductory overview of pragmatics
  • Learners who value study questions, further reading, and a glossary

Themes

Meaning in contextVerbal and nonverbal communicationDirect and indirect meaningPolitenessTheories and history of pragmatics

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Pragmatics: The Basics is an accessible and engaging introduction to the study of verbal and nonverbal communication in context.

Including nine chapters on the history of pragmatics, current theories, the application of pragmatics, and possible future developments in the field, this book:

     

  • Offers a comprehensive overview of key ideas in contemporary pragmatics and how these have developed from and beyond the pioneering work of the philosopher Paul Grice;

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  • Draws on real-world examples such as political campaign posters and song lyrics to demonstrate how we convey and understand direct and indirect meanings;

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  • Explains the effects of verbal, nonverbal, and multimodal communication and how the same words or behaviour can mean different things in different contexts, including what makes utterances more or less polite;

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  • Highlights key terms and concepts throughout and provides chapter-end study questions, further reading suggestions, and a glossary.

Written by an experienced researcher and teacher, this book will be an essential introduction to this topic for all beginning students of English Language and Linguistics.

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