Pragmatic Stylistics 1st Edition by Elizabeth Black (Author)

Pragmatic Stylistics (1st Edition) by Elizabeth Black is an insightful exploration of the intersection between pragmatics and stylistics, two key areas of applied linguistics. The book introduces readers to the practical application of stylistic analysis, focusing on how language use reflects social meaning, context, and communication strategies. Black combines theoretical frameworks with practical examples from literary texts, media, and everyday discourse to illustrate how pragmatics—concerned with language in use—can inform the understanding of style. The book emphasizes the role of context, speaker intentions, and reader/listener interpretation in shaping the meaning of texts. It provides both linguistic tools and analytical techniques, helping readers understand how linguistic choices contribute to the construction of meaning in different genres. This work is particularly valuable for students and scholars of linguistics, literary studies, and communication, offering a fresh perspective on the study of style and its pragmatic implications.

Key Points:

1. Integration of Pragmatics and Stylistics: Combines the study of language use in context (pragmatics) with the study of literary and non-literary style (stylistics), offering a unique interdisciplinary approach.

2. Contextual Meaning: Emphasizes the importance of context in determining the meaning of texts, highlighting how both social context and textual context shape interpretation.

3. Speaker Intentions and Interpretation: Focuses on how speakers’ intentions and listeners' or readers’ interpretations influence the meaning of linguistic choices.

4. Application to Literary and Non-Literary Texts: Uses a variety of texts, including literature, media, and everyday language, to demonstrate the practical application of stylistic and pragmatic analysis.

5. Practical Analytical Tools: Provides readers with practical linguistic tools to analyze texts, focusing on how different stylistic features convey specific meanings within various contexts.

6. Focus on Discourse and Communication Strategies: Explores how communication strategies, such as politeness, irony, and implicature, influence stylistic choices in both spoken and written discourse.

7. Exploration of Social Meaning: Investigates how language use reflects social identity, relationships, and power dynamics, with a focus on the role of language in shaping social meaning.

8. Reader/Listener Role in Meaning Construction: Highlights how the role of the audience (reader or listener) affects how meaning is constructed and understood in a text.

9. Theoretical Frameworks for Analysis: Presents key theoretical frameworks from both pragmatics and stylistics, giving readers the tools to conduct sophisticated analyses of texts.

10. Suitable for Linguistics and Literary Studies: This book is ideal for students and scholars in applied linguistics, literary theory, and communication studies, providing a rich resource for those interested in the dynamics of language use and style.

Conclusion:

Pragmatic Stylistics by Elizabeth Black offers a comprehensive and practical guide for understanding the relationship between style and meaning in language. By blending the fields of pragmatics and stylistics, the book provides readers with a solid theoretical foundation and practical tools to analyze texts in a nuanced way. Whether for academic study or professional application, this work offers valuable insights into how language functions in real-world communication, making it an essential resource for those exploring linguistics, literary studies, and applied communication.

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Writer                 ✤               Elizabeth Black (Author)