The Pragmatics of Irish English (Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs, 164) (Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs)

Irish English, while having been the focus of investigations on a variety of linguistic levels, reveals a dearth of research on the pragmatic level. In the present volume, this imbalance is addressed by providing much-needed empirical data on language use in Ireland in the private, official and public spheres and also by examining the use of Irish English as a reflection of socio-cultural norms of interaction. The contributions cover a wide range of pragmatic phenomena and draw on a number of frameworks of analysis. Despite the wide scope of topics and methodologies, a relatively coherent picture of conventions of language use in Ireland emerges. Indirectness and heterogeneity on the formal level are, for instance, shown to be features of Irish English. This volume is the first book-length treatment of the pragmatics of a national variety of English, or any other language. Indeed, it could be considered a first step towards a new discipline, variational pragmatics, at the interface of pragmatics and dialectology. This book is of primary interest to researchers and students in pragmatics, variational linguistics, Irish English, English as Foreign Language (EFL), cross-cultural communication and discourse analysis. Furthermore, the pragmatic descriptions provided will be of practical use in the increasingly important English as Second Language (ESL) context in Ireland. Finally, it is also of relevance to professionals dealing with Ireland and, indeed, to anyone interested in a deeper understanding of Irish culture. Irish English : A Focus On Language In Action / Anne Barron And Klaus P. Schneider -- Irish English In The Context Of Previous Research / Raymond Hickey -- Irish English In The Private Sphere : Silence And Mitigation In Irish English Discourse / Jeffrey L. Kallen -- Discourse Markers In Irish English : An Example From Literature / Carolina P. Amador Moreno -- No Problem, You're Welcome, Anytime : Responding To Thanks In Ireland, England, And The Usa / Klaus P. Schneider -- Offering In Ireland And England / Anne Barron -- You Are Fat. You'll Eat Them All : Politeness Strategies In Family Discourse / Brian Clancy -- Irish English In The Official Sphere Relational Strategies In The Discourse Of Professional Performance Review In An Irish Academic Environment : The Case Of Language Teacher Education / Fiona Farr -- Indirectness In Irish-english Business Negotiation : A Legacy Of Colonialism? / Gillian Martin -- Whatcha Mean? The Pragmatics Of Intercultural Business Communication In Financial Shared Service Centres / Sophie Cacciaguidi-fahy And Martin Fahy -- Forty Two So Please : Politeness For Sale In Southern-irish Service Encounters / James Binchy -- Irish English In The Public Sphere You've A Daughter Yourself? A Corpus-based Look At Question Forms In An Irish Radio Phone-in / Anne O'keeffe -- A Relevance Approach To Irish-english Advertising : The Case Of Brennan's Bread / Helen Kelly-holmes. Edited By Anne Barron ; Klaus P. Schneider. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. Introduction 7 Irish English: A focus on language in action 9 Irish English in the context of previous research 23 Irish English in the private sphere 51 Silence and mitigation in Irish English discourse 53 Discourse markers in Irish English: An example from literature 79 No problem, you ’re welcome, anytime: Responding to thanks in Ireland, England, and the USA 107 Offering in Ireland and England 147 You’re fat. You’ll eat them all: Politeness strategies in family discourse 183 Irish English in the official sphere 207 Relational strategies in the discourse of professional performance review in an Irish academic environment: The case of language teacher education 209 Indirectness in Irish-English business negotiation: A legacy of colonialism? 241 Whatcha mean? The pragmatics of intercultural business communication in financial shared service centres 275 Three forty two so please: Politeness for sale in Southern-Irish service encounters 319 Irish English in the public sphere 343 You’ve a daughter yourself? A corpus-based look at question forms in an Irish radio phone-in 345 A relevance approach to Irish-English advertising: The case of Brennan’s Bread 373 Name Index 395 Subject Index 404 Thirteen contributions provide descriptive data on language use in the private, official, and public spheres of Irish life and also contrast language use conventions in Ireland with those in other English-speaking countries. Coverage includes an overview of current research on pragmatic aspects of Irish English and a synopsis of the primary focus of linguistic research on Irish English, followed by empirical studies of specific pragmatic issues, all dealing with directness. Topics include silence, discourse markers, responding to thanks, offering, politeness strategies, relational strategies in the academic environment, face-to-face sales negotiations, business communication in the new multicultural Ireland, politeness in service encounters, question forms in an Irish radio phone-in program, and Irish-English advertising. The credentials of the editors and the 11 contributors are not stated. Annotation :2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Provides empirical data on language use in Ireland in the private, official and public spheres, and also examines the use of Irish English as a reflection of socio-cultural norms of interaction. This volume is a book-length treatment of the pragmatics of a national variety of English, or any other language Review text: "This is in many ways a very praiseworthy attempt to redress a gap in descriptions of Irish English."Goodith White in: Multilingua 1/2007 Irish English has been the focus of investigations on a variety of linguistic levels (cf. Hickey this volume).