Course Description:
This course provides an accessible introduction to pragmatics, which deals with how speakers and hearers use
language to communicate meaning in real-life discourse contexts. The course will deal with two broad issues in
pragmatics: (i) how meaning can depend on the context of use, and (ii) the contrast between what is said and what is
communicated. The course will also discuss various kinds of speech acts, such as requesting, asking, and ordering, as
well as indirect speech acts, and use a theory of politeness.
Course Objectives:
- Identify key concepts and theories of pragmatics;
- Apply principles of pragmatics in verbal and written English;
- Help students understand the use of discourse markers in conversational English;
- Link the language utterance to social context; and
- Analyse both verbal and written texts.