Methods in historical pragmatics

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This volume offers a timely collective review of English historical pragmatics and historical discourse analysis. It critically assesses the assumptions and practices that shape research on the history of the English language from a historical pragmatics perspective. The aim is to engage with various approaches and methods, providing insights into earlier communicative practices, registers, and linguistic functions derived from historical discourse. Contributions are organized based on their focus within the study of language and meaning in both literary and non-literary historical texts. This structure highlights the convergence of text reading traditions and discourse analysis, raising essential questions about the methods and outcomes of such studies. The volume enhances the maturity of historical pragmatic research by exemplifying and broadening the range of dominant approaches and methods in the field. Contributors include prominent international scholars in linguistics, literature, and philology, such as Dawn Archer, Birte Bös, and Laurel Brinton, among others. Their collective expertise enriches the discourse and furthers the understanding of historical pragmatics.