Linguistic theory: Pragmatics

Timetable

Module aim (aims)

1. Providing students with the concepts, terminology, theories and methodologies concerning linguistic pragmatics.

2. Developing the skills of using  the pragma-linguistic methods and tools for the analysis of communication, relying on traditional and/or multimedial sources.

3. Developing the skill of  giving presentations on pragma-linguistic concepts, theories and models.

4. Developing the skill of writing good academic papers concerning pragmatics, paying attention to the structure and composition of the papers and using proper academic sources.

5. Being able to critically evaluate one’s own knowledge and being open to new ideas and different opinions after having scrutinized the argumentation provided by others.

 

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

B2 English proficiency

Syllabus

1. Linguistic pragmatics: introduction.
2. Pragmatics of verbal communication.
3. Context in pragmatics: theoretical and empirical perspectives.
4. Pragmatic inference and the theory of implicature.
5. Social cognition: perception of self and others.
6. Speech act theory.
7. Pragmatics of nonverbal communication.
8. Politeness theories.
9. Cultural norms and values in communication.
10. Intercultural pragmatics: intercultural competence and barriers in intercultural communication.
11. Affective pragmatics: emotions in language.
12. Pragmatics of argumentation ad persuasion.
13. Pragmatics of social persuasion and manipulation.
14. Experimental pragmatics, research tools and paradigms.

 

Reading list

Obligatory
1. Brown, Keith (ed.). 2006. Encyclopedia of language and linguistics: Pragmatics Volume. Oxford: Elsevier.
2. Mey, Jacob L. 2001. Pragmatics: An Introduction. 2nd edition. Oxford: Blackwell.
3. Perloff, Richard M. 2013. The Dynamics of Persuasion: Communication and Attitudes in the 21st Century. New York: Routledge.
4. Thomas, Jenny. 1995. Meaning in Interaction. An Introduction to Pragmatics. Routledge: London/New York.

5. Verderber, Kathleen S., Rudolph F. Verderber, Deanna D. Sellnow. 2014. Communicate! Wadsworth Cengage
Learning.

Optional
1. Barrett, Lisa Feldman, Batja Mesquita, and Eliot R. Smith. 2010. “The Context Principle”, in: Batja Mesquita, Lisa Feldman Barrett, and Eliot R. Smith (eds.), The Mind in the Context. The Guilford Press: New York, pp. 1-24.
2. Gibbs Jr, Raymond W., Herbert L. Colston. 2020. “Pragmatics Always Matters: An Expanded Vision of Experimental Pragmatics”, Frontiers in Psychology 11:1619.