Pragmatics (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics) [Paperback]

Stephen C. Levinson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521294142 | ISBN-13: 978-0521294140 | Publication Date: July 29, 1983

Those aspects of language use that are crucial to an understanding of language as a system, and especially to an understanding of meaning, are the acknowledged concern of linguistic pragmatics. Yet until now much of the work in this field has not been easily accessible to the student, and was often written at an intimidating level of technicality. In this textbook, however, Dr Levinson has provided a lucid and integrative analysis of the central topics in pragmatics - deixis, implicature, presupposition, speech acts, and conversational structure. A central concern of the book is the relation between pragmatics and semantics, and Dr Levinson shows clearly how a pragmatic approach can resolve some of the problems semantics have been confronting and simplifying semantic analyses. The complexity of these issues is not disguised, but the exposition is always clear and supported by helpful exemplification. The detailed analyses of selected topics give the student a clear view of the empirical rigour demanded by the study of linguistic pragmatics, but Dr Levinson never loses sight of the rich diversity of the subject. An introduction and conclusion relate pragmatics to other fields in linguistics and other disciplines concerned with language usage - psychology, philosophy, anthropology and literature. Many students in these disciplines, as well as students of linguistics, will find this a valuable textbook.

Product Details

• Paperback: 434 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (July 29, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521294142
• ISBN-13: 978-0521294140
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #504,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very readable introduction, May 22, 2000

By 

Adam Potthast - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pragmatics (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics) (Paperback)

I would highly recommend this very readable introduction to the pragmatic revolution in linguistics. The book is organized incredibly well with each chapter dealing with a curiously inexplicable lingusitic phenomenon that just happens to have a clean, pragmatic answer. Levinson weaves linguistic theory and philosophy of language well with a very readable format and style. I found it especially useful as a primer for recent philosophy of language.

3.0 out of 5 stars Difficult and dated book; for serious linguists only, January 12, 2011

By 

Felix (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pragmatics (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics) (Paperback)

I used this book in a Semantics/Pragmatics graduate class at my university. It was a very difficult read, which makes sense, since Pragmatics is a very complex subject. The field is ill-defined and it's always hard to tell whether a topic is better thought of as a Semantics topic or a Pragmatics topic. The book itself spends a chapter discussing how to define this field, whether it is really part of linguistics, and how it relates to Semantics. It also spends much time on the topic of Harvey Sacks' conversation analysis (my professor's specialty), relating it to Searle's speech act theory, and other non-traditional approaches to linguistic meaning. In this way, the book borrows much from philosophy of language, sociolinguistics, and other (loosely?) related areas of linguistics.

If you are a serious linguist who is interested in meaning outside of predicate logic, this is the book for you. For anyone looking for an easy introduction to field, look elsewhere.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Your First Choice in Pragmatics, June 22, 2008

By 

Nick (Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pragmatics (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics) (Paperback)

For the reader with no time to lose, I'll start right away by telling you which book on Pragmatics you ought to get if you want a good introduction to it: "Pragmatics" by George Yule, because it is much more concise, to the point, covers a lot of ground quickly, deals with the essential.

Now, Levinson's book is a book I read twice, and from which I never retain anything. The first time I read it - entirely - I could not mention anything I had read in there. I thought I was simply a bad reader, but after having studied pragmatics for a long time, I realised that the book was simply not well written. It goes into complicated details too fast, before the reader has any real grasp on the matter, and gets lost in discussions that readers usually aren't able to understand, nor care for.

Typically, I'd say that Levinson's book is an "introduction" written by someone who knows not what it is like to know nothing about pragmatics. And even when you know of the subject, you still find his book rather difficult to follow.

I strongly urge you to consider George Yule's book on pragmatics rather than this one.