ΕΓΛ522: Text and Context

The objective of the module is to provide a thorough overview of the key aspects of the interaction of language with its contexts. Pre-existing basic knowledge of pragmatics, text linguistics and sociolinguistics is enriched with the aim of providing the theoretical and methodological tools for scientific study of the forms and functions of language in its sociocultural contexts. Basic theoretical concepts of Pragmatics are examined (context, inference, conversational maxims, Gricean pragmatcs and Relevance theory, speech acts, comparison between the approaches of Austin and Searle). A basic overview of Text Linguistics (principles of textuality, cohesion, coherence, genre and text type, textual force, field, tenor and mode) and an introduction to Discourse Analysis will be provided. Finally, key areas of Sociolinguistics (geographical and social variation, social parameters affecting variation, bilingualism, diglossia and language contact, code switching and mixing, translanguaging, language and identities, linguistic repertoires, performance, superdiversity) are examined.