Making pragmatics accessible to a wide range of students and instructors without dumbing down the content of the field, this text for language professionals:
raises awareness and increases knowledge and understanding of how human beings use language in real situations to engage in social action
fosters the ability to think critically about language data and use
helps readers develop the ability to "do pragmatics"
One approach to the study of language has been to describe people whose ability to communicate is impaired. Some researchers have argued that it is possible to identify the component mental processes that contribute to the ability to communicate by describing the ways in which language can break down. Other researchers have expressed doubts about the extent to which data from impairment reflects normal language function.