LFU:online

 This proseminar aims at giving students an overview of the field of pragmatics. Students will be introduced to its key concepts and learn how to carry out linguistic research from a pragmatic perspective.

Pragmatics is the linguistic field concerned with the study of meaning in context. We will start our journey through pragmatics by discussing the importance of context. Next, we will deal with Austin’s concept of “doing things with words” before moving on to the principles and rules that govern our linguistic behaviour. We will further investigate (linguistic) Politeness and Impoliteness, shed light on how irony and metaphors work and analyse different texts from a pragmatic perspective. Following recent trends in pragmatics, attention will also be paid to the historical dimension of pragmatics.

Discussions, workshops, oral presentations.

Requirements for positive assessment are: Regular attendance (presence at the first session, in particular, is mandatory); oral presentation (with handout); research paper (related to the presentation); active participation in class (discussions, mini-tasks).

Thomas, Jenny. 1995. Meaning in Interaction. An Introduction to Pragmatics. Harlow: Pearson Education. (ch. 1)

BA Programme: none

Teacher Training Programme: VO1: Introduction to English Synchronic Linguistics + VO1: Introduction to the History of English

Teacher Training Programme: (344): PS 2: Linguistics and Culture

Due to substantial differences in the allocation of ECTS-Credits in various curricula (teacher training program - BA/MA English and American Studies), the requirements for this course vary. Information will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the course.