This book looks at mediaeval English drama using the theoretical frameworks of historical sociopragmatics and dialogue analysis. It focuses on the collection of cycle plays known as the N.Town Plays, preserved in a manuscript from the fifteenth century. The book examines various linguistic markers… read more
Within the subfield of historical pragmatics, this paper focuses on the linguistic means used for transmitting knowledge and signalling stance in a sample of Early Modern diplomatic correspondence, a text-type that, while partly codified and formulaic, shows individual variation according to… read more
Starting from notions of conversational dominance as a locus for face-work, and of the crucial role of specific language items in managing conflict and (dis)agreement in dialogue, the paper will look at some case studies in the development and pragmaticalization stages of various English… read more
