First Published in 1987. This book provides an outline for a descriptive basis for the study of human communication by advocating a pragmatic approach to communication, based on the study of language use in context. It covers work on verbal communication in many disciplines, and represents a variety of underlying assumptions and methods of analysis. This book blends both European and North American scholarship for a broadly focused analysis in a form suitable for beginners and those looking to expand their established understanding.

Beth Haslet University of Delaware

Part I Conceptual Approaches to Pragmatics; Chapter 1 Conceptual Foundations of the Pragmatic Perspective; Chapter 2 Structural Approaches to Pragmatics; Chapter 3 Structural Pragmatics; Chapter 4 Functional Approaches to Communication; Chapter 5 Contextual Approaches to Communication; Part II An Integrated Perspective on Human Communication; Chapter 6 An Integrated Perspective on Human Communication; Part III Communication in Context; Chapter 7 Communicative Development; Chapter 8 Pragmatic Approaches to Interpersonal Communication; Chapter 9 Educational Communication;