Can linguistic pragmatics be developed without the need to formulate rules, criteria or maxims? Using a hermeneutic approach to pragmatics, this book seeks to bring pragmatics closer to the cognitive paradigm that has transformed the other branches of the linguistic and communication sciences.

Autorentext

Tahir Wood is currently Director of Academic Planning at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. He completed his PhD in 1994 at the University of Cape Town under the supervision of the author J.M. Coetzee and has taught English and linguistics at several South African universities. His interests are in pragmatics, semantics, semiotics and discourse studies.

Inhalt

Contents: Introducing Key Concepts Beyond Rules: The Necessity of Interpretation Intention and Interpretation The Structure of Agency in Language, Communication and Society Agency, Habit and Genre The Evolution of Narrative Genres Hermeneutic Elements of Reading An Author is an Agent and an Agent is Purposive The Worlds of Author, Character and Reader Intertwined Summary of Implications and Testable Hypotheses.