As a first attempt to date, this book addresses the notion of hypocrisy from a pragmatic perspective and devises a comprehensive model of verbal hypocrisy. The studies included adopt emic and etic approaches in order to contribute jointly towards an understanding of what appears to be a ubiquitous… read more
Edited by Jason Finch, Martin Gill, Anthony Johnson, Iris Lindahl-Raittila, Inna Lindgren, Tuija Virtanen and Brita Wårvik
Since the 1980s, Roger D. Sell’s literary criticism has striven to take account of the (often conflicting) approaches available without compromising the human importance of the literary work: either in terms of its creation or its reception. Sell’s theory of literature draws strength from the… read more
Persuasion, in its various linguistic forms, enters our lives daily. Politicians and the news media attempt to change or confirm our beliefs, while advertisers try to bend our tastes toward buying their products. Persuasion goes on in courtrooms, universities, and the business world. Persuasion… read more
Based on the general definition of hypocrisy given in the introductory chapter, this chapter shows how pragmatics can deepen and add to the understanding of hypocrisy. It first guides the reader to think differently about this traditionally morally-laden and negatively-evaluated notion. It then… read more
This introductory chapter approaches hypocrisy (i) as misalignment between two inconsistent elements and (ii) as a sham of some kind, through a transdisciplinary discussion of the notion in public and academic discourse. Presenting the aim of the volume and the rationale behind it, we argue for… read more
This chapter explores virtual performances of “autohypocrisy”, an overt form of pretence where users instantaneously and simultaneously execute and expose their own hypocritical act. Examining conventionalizing and creative uses on Twitter of the self-referential third-person performative… read more
This paper explores linguistic egocentrism in English through the lens of virtual performatives, i.e. self-referential stand-alone predications in the third person singular present tense through which users perform virtual action or emotion. The focus is on microblogging for apparently… read more
This chapter examines the increasingly popular practice in text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) of users referring to themselves in the third person, e.g. *runs to the kitchen*. Originating in game environments, the zero subject construction has in recent years spread to other modes of… read more
