Books like Pragmatics by Stephen C. Levinson

Discusses the phenomenon of language, how it may have developed and how it is learned, and gives an overview of such languages as French, Japanese, and Hebrew.

This book makes pragmatics accessible to students of linguistics and covers all the major areas in the subject in a lively and engaging way. It is written as an interactive coursebook and includes exercises, activities, and a detailed key, making it ideal for use in class.

From Amazon: In this final book of her pioneering investigation of logical problems in medieval narrative texts, Anne Wilson offers a practical guide to her approach. She argues that certain narrative plots, some of them famous for their inconsistencies, have been created by a form of thought that we have not recognized. Wilson demonstrates that texts full of apparent contradictions and incongruities contain highly organized plots, made up of repetitive, ritual structures. These structures can be invested with power by storytellers and audiences, which can serve to bring about desired states of mind. Investigating the individual structures in each text provides evidence for a new, intellectually rigorous definition of “magic” as a system of thought in which participants invest narrative elements with particular power.

Introducing English Semantics is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the study of meaning.Charles W. Kreidler presents the basic principles of this discipline. He explores how languages organize and express meanings through words, parts of words and sentences.Introducing English Semantics:* deals with relations of words to other words, and sentences to other sentences* illustrates the importance of 'tone of voice' and 'body language' in face-to-face exchanges, and the role of context in any communication* makes random comparisons of features in other languages* explores the knowledge speakers of a language must have in common to enable them to communicate* discusses the nature of language; the structure of discourse; the distinction between lexical and grammatical meaning* examines such relations as synonymy, antonymy, and hyponymy; ambiguity; implication; factivity; aspect; and modalityWritten in a clear, accessible style, Introducing English Semantics will be an essential text for any student following an introductory course in semantics. Assuming no prior knowledge of linguistics, all technical terms are clearly defined in an accompanying glossary and active participation is encouraged through numerous exercises.

A comprehensive guide covering theories, research methods, and contemporary debates in pragmatics, offering a one‑stop resource for graduate students and scholars.