Cover not available

In:Handbook of Pragmatics: Manual
Edited by Jef Verschueren and Jan-Ola Östman
[Handbook of Pragmatics M2] 2022
► pp. 1472–1496

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload Book EPUB
authorization required

Variational pragmatics

Published online: 3 October 2022
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/hop.m2.var1
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Pragmatic coordinates
    • 2.1The scope of pragmatics
    • 2.2The place in pragmatics
    • 2.3Levels of pragmatic analysis
  • 3.Variational coordinates
    • 3.1Variation and identity
    • 3.2Pragmatic variation
    • 3.3What is a pragmatic variable?
  • 4.Methodological concerns
    • 4.1Some basic principles
    • 4.2Data
  • 5.Development
    • 5.1History
    • 5.2Research trends
  • 6.Perspectives
  • References
References (117)
References
[A continuously updated bibliography of variational pragmatics is found at: [URL]]
Ash, S. 2002. Social class. In J. K. Chambers, P. Trudgill & N. Schilling-Estes (eds.) Handbook of language variation and change (Blackwell Handbook in Linguistics): 402–422. Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Barron, A. 2005a. Offering in Ireland and England. In A. Barron & K. P. Schneider (eds.) (2005b): 141–176. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2005b. Variational pragmatics in the foreign language classroom. System 33(3): 519–536. Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2008. The structure of requests in Irish English and English English. In K. P. Schneider & A. Barron (eds.) (2008b): 35–67. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2009. Apologies across the U.S.A. In K. Turner & B. Fraser. (eds.) Language in life, and a life in language. Jacob Mey – A Festschrift: 9–17. Emerald. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Barron, A. & K. P. Schneider. 2005a. Irish English: a focus on language in action. In A. Barron & K. P. Schneider (eds.) (2005b): 3–15. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Barron A. & K. P. Schneider (eds.) 2005b. The pragmatics of Irish English (Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs 164). Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Barron, A & K. P. Schneider. 2009a. Variational pragmatics: studying the impact of social factors on language use in interaction. Intercultural Pragmatics 6(4): 425–442. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Barron, A. & K. P. Schneider (eds.) 2009b. Variational pragmatics. Special Issue. Intercultural Pragmatics 6(4). . Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bhatia, V. K. 2004. Worlds of written discourse: a genre-based view. Continuum. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Blum-Kulka, S., J. House & G. Kasper. 1989a. Investigating cross-cultural pragmatics: an introductory overview. In S. Blum-Kulka, J. House & G. Kasper (eds.) Cross-cultural pragmatics: requests and apologies (Advances in Discourse Processes 31): 1–34. Ablex. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(eds.) 1989b. Cross-cultural pragmatics: requests and apologies. Ablex. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Blum-Kulka, S., M. Blondheim, J. House, G. Kasper & J. Wagner. 2008. Intercultural pragmatics, language and society. In P. Van Sterkenburg (ed.): Unity and diversity of languages: 155–173. John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Brinker, K. 2010. Linguistische Textanalyse. 7th revised edition. Erich Schmidt. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Brown, G. & G. Yule. 1983. Discourse analysis. Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Brown, P. & S. C. Levinson. 1978. Universals in language usage: politeness phenomena. In E. N. Goody (ed.) Questions and politeness: strategies in social interaction: 56–289. Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 1987. Politeness: some universals in language usage. Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cheshire, J. 2002. Sex and gender in variationist research. In J. K. Chambers, P. Trudgill & N. Schilling-Estes (eds.) Handbook of language variation and change (Blackwell Handbook in Linguistics): 423–443. Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Clancy, B. forthcoming. I now pronounce you man and wife: exploring the synergy of variational pragmatics and corpus linguistics. In F. Farr & A. O’Keeffe (eds.) Applying corpus linguistics. Special issue. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics.
Clark, H. H. 1979. Responding to indirect speech acts. Cognitive Psychology 11: 430–477. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Clyne, M. 1992. Introduction. In M. Clyne (ed.) 1992. Pluricentric languages: Different norms in different countries: 1–9. Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Downes, W. 1998. Language and society. Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Edmondson, W. J. 1981. Spoken discourse: a model for analysis. Longman. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ervin-Tripp, S. 1976. Is Sybil there? The structure of some American English Directives. Language in Society 5: 25–66. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Faerch, C. & G. Kasper (eds.) 1987. Introspection in second language research. Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fairclough, N. 2003. Analysing discourse: Textual analysis for social research. Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Farr, F. & B. Murphy. 2009. Religious references in contemporary Irish English: ‘for the love of God almighty.… I’m a holy terror for turf.’In A. Barron & K. P. Schneider (eds.) 2009b. Variational Pragmatics. Special Issue. Intercultural Pragmatics 6(4): 535–559. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Félix-Brasdefer, J. C. 2009. Pragmatic variation across Spanish(es): requesting in Mexican, Costa Rican and Dominican Spanish. Intercultural Pragmatics 6(4): 473–515. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2009. Intra-lingual pragmatic variation in the performance of reprimanding. Intercultural-Pragmatics 6(4): 443–472. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Goddard, C. 2006. Ethnopragmatics. A new paradigm. In C. Goddard (ed.) Ethnopragmatics: understanding discourse in cultural context (Applications in Cognitive Linguistics 3): 1–30. Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2009. Cultural keywords and cultural scripts: divergences between Australian, American and British English. Presentation at the 11th International Pragmatics Conference, University of Melbourne, Australia, 12–17 July 2009. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Goddard, C. & A. Wierzbicka. 2007. Semantic primes and cultural scripts in language learning and intercultural communication. In F. Sharifian & G. Palmer (eds.) Applied cultural linguistics: 105–124. John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Golato, A. 2002. German compliment responses. Journal of Pragmatics 34: 547–671. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2003. Studying compliment responses: a comparison of DCTs and recordings of naturally occurring talk. Applied Linguistics 24: 90–121. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Goodwin, M. H. 1990. He-said-she-said: Talk as social organization among black children. Indiana University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Haugh, M. & K. P. Schneider (eds.) (in preparation) (Im)politeness across Englishes . Special Issue. Journal of Pragmatics.
Hill, B., Ide, S., Ikuta, S., Kawasaki, A. & Ogino, T. 1986. Universals of linguistic politeness. Journal of Pragmatics 10: 347–371. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hofstede, G. H. 1980. Culture's consequences: international differences in work-related values. Sage. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Holmes, J. 1986. Compliments and compliment responses in New Zealand English. Anthropological Linguistics 28: 485–508. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
1990. Apologies in New Zealand English. Language in Society 19(2): 155–199. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
1995. Women, men and politeness. Longman. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
House, J. 2003. English as a lingua franca and its influence on discourse norms in other languages. In G. Anderman & M. Rogers (eds.) Translation today: trends and perspectives: 168–179. Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
House, R. J., M. Javidan, P. Hanges & P. Dorfman. 2002. Understanding cultures and implicit leadership theories across the globe: an introduction to project GLOBE. Journal of World Business 37: 3–10. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Huang, Y. 2007. Pragmatics. Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2010. Pragmatics. In L. Cummings (ed.) The pragmatics encyclopedia: 341–345. Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Janney, R. 2009. Toward a postcolonial pragmatics. In K. Turner & B. Fraser (eds.) Language in life, and a life in language. Jacob Mey – A Festschrift: 193–202. Emerald. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2010. Thanking in English: a corpus-based study on the use of expressions of gratitude across different varieties and genres. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. University of Bonn. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Johnstone, B. 2008. Discourse analysis. 2nd edition. Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2008. Historical pragmatics. Language and Linguistics Compass 2(5): 894–906. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2009. Speech act research between armchair, field and laboratory: the case of compliments. Journal of Pragmatics 41: 1611–1635. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jucker, A. H. & I. Taavitsainen (eds.) 2008. Speech acts in the history of English. John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(forthcoming) Pragmatic variables. In J. M. Hernández-Campoy (ed.) The handbook of historical sociolinguistics. Blackwell.
Kachru, B. 1985. Standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: the English language in the outer circle. In R. Quirk & H. G. Widdowson (eds.) English in the world: teaching and learning of language and literature: 11–36. Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kallen, J. L. 2005. Silence and mitigation in Irish English discourse. In A. Barron & K. P. Schneider (eds.) The pragmatics of Irish English (Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs 164): 47–71. Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kasper, G. 1995. Wessen Pragmatik? Für eine Neubestimmung fremdsprachlicher Handlungskompetenz. Zeitschrift für Fremdsprachenforschung 6(1): 69–94. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2000. Data collection in pragmatics research. In H. Spencer-Oatey (ed.) Culturally speaking: managing rapport through talk across cultures: 316–341. Continuum. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2008. Data collection in pragmatics research. In H. Spencer-Oatey (ed.) Culturally speaking: managing rapport through talk across cultures. 2nd edition: 279–303. Continuum. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Labov, W. 1966a. The linguistic variable as a structural unit. Washington Linguistics Review 3: 4–22. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
1966b. The social stratification of English in New York City. Center for Applied Linguistics. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lavandera, B. 1978.: Where does the sociolinguistic variable stop? Language in Society 7(2): 171–182. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Leech, G. 1983. Principles of pragmatics. Longman. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Levinson, S. C. 2000. Presumptive meanings: the theory of generalized conversational implicature. MIT Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Locher, M. 2008. Relational work, politeness and identity construction. In: G. Antos, E. Ventola & T. Weber (eds.) Handbooks of applied linguistics: interpersonal communication: 509–540. Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Locher, M. & R. Watts. 2005. Politeness theory and relational work. Journal of Politeness Research 1: 9–33. . Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Macaulay, R. 2009. Adolescents and identity. In A. Barron & K. P. Schneider (eds.) Variational pragmatics. Special Issue. Intercultural Pragmatics 6(4): 597–612. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mclaughlin, M. L. 1984. Conversation: how talk is organized. Sage. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Melchers, G. & P. Shaw. 2003. World Englishes: an introduction. Arnold. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Milroy, J. 1981. Regional accents of English: Belfast. Blackstaff Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
1998. Urban dialectology. In J. Mey (ed.) Concise encyclopedia of pragmatics: 1039–1045. Elsevier. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Milroy, L. 1980. Language and social networks. Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Muhr, R. 1994. ‘Entschuldigen Sie Frau Kollegin…’: Sprechaktrealisierungsunterschiede an Universitäten in Österreich und Deutschland. In G. Bachleitner-Held (ed.) Verbale Interaktion: 126–143. Dr. Kovac. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
O’keeffe, A. & S. Adolphs. 2008. Response tokens in British and Irish discourse: corpus, context and variational pragmatics. In K. P. Schneider & A. Barron (eds.) (2008b): 69–98. John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
O’keeffe, A. & C. P. Amador Moreno. 2009. The pragmatics of the be + after + V-ing construction in Irish English. Intercultural Pragmatics 6(4): 517–534. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Oleksy, W. (ed.) 1989. Contrastive pragmatics. John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pichler, H. 2009. The functional and social reality of discourse variants in a nothern English dialect: I DON’T KNOW and I DON’T THINK compared. In A. Barron & K. P. Schneider (eds.) Variational pragmatics. Special Issue. Intercultural Pragmatics 6(4): 561–596. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Placencia, M. E. 1994. Pragmatics across varieties of Spanish. Donaire 2: 65–77. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2008. Requests in corner shop transactions in Ecuadorian Andean and Coastal Spanish. In A. Barron & K. P. Schneider (eds.) (2008b): 307–332. Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Plevoets, K., D. Speelman & D. Geeraerts. 2008. The distribution of T/V pronouns in Netherlandic and Belgian Dutch. In A. Barron & K. P. Schneider (eds.) 181–209. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sacks, H., E. A. Schegloff & G. Jefferson. 1974. A simplest systematics for the organization of turn-taking for conversation. Language 50: 696–735. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schiffrin, D. 1987. Discourse markers. Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schlieben-Lange, B. & H. Weydt. 1978. Für eine Pragmatisierung der Dialektologie. Zeitschrift für Germanistische Linguistik 6(3): 257–282 [pp. 257–260 are given twice in this volume, each time with different content]. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schneider, K. P. 1988. Small talk: analysing phatic discourse. Hitzeroth. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
1999. Compliment responses across cultures. In M. Wysocka (ed.) On language in theory and practice: In honour of Janusz Arabski on the occasion of his 60th birthday Vol. 1: 162–172. Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2001. Pragmatics meets dialectology: investigating regional variation in language use. Invited paper presented at the international workshop ‘New Orientations in the Study of Regionalism’, University of Bonn, Germany, July 16th–19th 2001. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2005a. ‘No problem, you’re welcome, anytime’: responding to thanks in Ireland, England, and the U.S.A. In A. Barron & K. P. Schneider (eds.): The pragmatics of Irish English: 101–139. Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2005b. Region and regionalism in linguistics: a brief survey of concepts and methods. In L. Hönnighausen, M. Frey, J. Peacock & N. Steiner (eds.) Regionalism in the age of globalism: concepts of regionalism 1: 139–158. University of Wisconsin, Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2007. Genre matters: textual and contextual constraints on contemporary English speech behaviour. Anglia 125(1) (Special Issue: Spoken styles of present-day English ): 59–83. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2008a. Small talk in England, Ireland, and the USA. In K. P. Schneider & A. Barron (eds.) (2008b): 99–139. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2008b. Teaching intercultural competence and pragmatic variation. In E. Burwitz-Melzer et al. (eds.) Sprachen lernen – Menschen bilden: 179–189. Schneider-Verlag Hohengehren. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2010. Sociopragmatic variation and culture-dependent schemata of linguistic behavior. LAUD paper A748. University of Duisburg-Essen, Linguistic Agency. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(in press) Small talk: units, sequencing, realizations. In A. Wimmer & J. Helbig (eds.) Anglistentag 2009 Klagenfurt: Proceedings. WVT.
(forthcoming). Imagining conversation: how people think people do things with words. Sociolinguistic Studies. Special Issue: Fictionalising orality K. Mccafferty, C. Amador-Moreno (eds.).
Schneider, K. P. & A. Barron. 2008a. Where pragmatics and dialectology meet: introducing variational pragmatics. In K. P. Schneider & A. Barron (eds.) (2008b): 1–32. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(eds.) 2008b. Variational pragmatics: a focus on regional varieties in pluricentric languages. (Pragmatics & Beyond New series 178). Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schölmberger, U. 2008. Apologizing in French French and Canadian French. In K. P. Schneider & A. Barron (eds.) (2008b): 329–350. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Selinker, L. 1972. Interlanguage. IRAL 10: 209–231. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sridhar, K. K. 1991. Speech acts in an indigenised variety: sociocultural values and language variation. In J. Cheshire (ed.) English around the world: sociolinguistic perspectives: 308–318. Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Terkourafi, M. (forthcoming) The pragmatic variable: a procedural approach. Language in Society.
Thomas, J. 1981. Pragmatic failure. Unpublished M.A. thesis. University of Lancaster. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tottie, G. 2009. Review of Schneider & Barron 2008: Variational pragmatics. Language in Society 38(4): 520–525. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Trosborg, A. 1995. Interlanguage pragmatics. Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Trudgill, P. & J. Hannah. 2002. International English: a guide to the varieties of Standard English (4th ed.). Arnold. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Verschueren, J. 1999. Understanding pragmatics. Arnold. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Warga, M. 2008. Requesting in German as a pluricentric language. In K. P. Schneider & A. Barron (eds.) (2008b): 243–264. Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Watts, R. 2003. Politeness. Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wierzbicka, A. 1985. Different cultures, different languages, different speech acts: Polish vs. English. Journal of Pragmatics 9(2/3): 145–178. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
1991. Cross-cultural pragmatics: the semantics of human interaction. Mouton de Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wolfram, W. & N. Schilling-Estes. 1998. American English: dialects and variation. Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2006. American English: dialects and variation (2nd ed.). Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wolfson, N. 1988. The bulge: a theory of speech behaviour and social distance. In J. Fine (ed.) Second language discourse: A textbook of current research: 21–38. Ablex. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue