Pragmatics and Information Structure, 5 cr

This course unit is an introduction to linguistic pragmatics, with a particular focus on a range of information structuring processes in informal native English discourse. These include the foregrounding and backgrounding of elements within utterances, involving non-canonical word order, the insertion of discourse particles, and intonational strategies. In addition, the course unit explores how these pragmatic alternations are interpreted by non-native speakers, how competing strategies from other languages may be transferred into non-native English usage, and how these competing strategies may persist in 'ethnic' native varieties of English.