Postcolonial Pragmatics and World Englishes

Abstract

Abstract

en World Englishes research on pragmatics, especially in postcolonial contexts, has been slow in emerging since the 1970s. A possible reason for this could be the absence of coherent theoretical frameworks for the complex nature of these societies. In this regard, the theoretical framework postcolonial pragmatics offers analytical tools for investigating pragmatic phenomena in societies that were affected by colonial contact. Its underlying premise is that the contact of precolonial and colonial (social) systems resulted in hybrid yet coherent patterns of social interaction, meaning-making and societal cohesion that are evident in the discourses produced in these contexts. To investigate them properly, we must rely on frameworks like postcolonial pragmatics designed purposively for them. This framework identifies both fixed (e.g., age, gender, history) and fluid (identity, social status, religion, education, kinship) analytical components that are indispensable when studying social interaction in postcolonial contexts, irrespective of the languages used.