This book introduces the field of pragmatics, focusing on how meaning is constructed in interaction. It begins by defining pragmatics as the study of how context influences the interpretation of language. The text explores the difference between abstract meaning and contextual meaning, discussing how sense and reference are assigned in context, structural ambiguity, and the interplay between sense, reference, and structure. It also examines ambiguity and intentionality, and introduces the concepts of utterance meaning and force as levels of speaker meaning. The book then delves into speech acts, focusing on the work of J. L. Austin and the performative hypothesis. It discusses different types of performatives, including metalinguistic, ritual, collaborative, and group performatives, and explores cross-cultural differences in their use. The text also addresses the overlap of categories and the collapse of Austin's performative hypothesis. Next, the book turns to conversational implicature, introduced by H. P. Grice, and examines the Cooperative Principle and its four maxims. It explores how non-observance of these maxims can lead to implicature, and discusses various ways to test for implicature. The text then reviews different approaches to pragmatics, including Grice's informal approach and Searle's formal approach, discussing speech acts, rules versus principles, and the categorization of speech acts. The book also examines indirectness in communication, discussing the principles that govern how indirect one should be, the factors that influence the degree of indirectness, and the reasons for using indirectness. It then explores theories of politeness, including the concept of face, the management of face, and the role of politeness in conversational contracts. Finally, the book discusses the construction of meaning in interaction, the collaborative nature of speech acts, and the dynamic nature of pragmatics. The text concludes with references and indexes.This book introduces the field of pragmatics, focusing on how meaning is constructed in interaction. It begins by defining pragmatics as the study of how context influences the interpretation of language. The text explores the difference between abstract meaning and contextual meaning, discussing how sense and reference are assigned in context, structural ambiguity, and the interplay between sense, reference, and structure. It also examines ambiguity and intentionality, and introduces the concepts of utterance meaning and force as levels of speaker meaning. The book then delves into speech acts, focusing on the work of J. L. Austin and the performative hypothesis. It discusses different types of performatives, including metalinguistic, ritual, collaborative, and group performatives, and explores cross-cultural differences in their use. The text also addresses the overlap of categories and the collapse of Austin's performative hypothesis. Next, the book turns to conversational implicature, introduced by H. P. Grice, and examines the Cooperative Principle and its four maxims. It explores how non-observance of these maxims can lead to implicature, and discusses various ways to test for implicature. The text then reviews different approaches to pragmatics, including Grice's informal approach and Searle's formal approach, discussing speech acts, rules versus principles, and the categorization of speech acts. The book also examines indirectness in communication, discussing the principles that govern how indirect one should be, the factors that influence the degree of indirectness, and the reasons for using indirectness. It then explores theories of politeness, including the concept of face, the management of face, and the role of politeness in conversational contracts. Finally, the book discusses the construction of meaning in interaction, the collaborative nature of speech acts, and the dynamic nature of pragmatics. The text concludes with references and indexes.