Pragmaticizing Understanding

The ideas that mark modern-day pragmatics are old, but did not start to get more systematically developed until the 1960s and 1970s. Still, the very recognition of pragmatics as a self-standing academic discipline is a product of the 1980s, not least made possible by the establishment of the International Pragmatics Association. One scholar in particular has devoted his life both to IPrA and to the discipline.
This volume pays homage to Jef Verschueren on the occasion of his 60th birthday. It celebrates him for his long-standing dedication as Secretary General of IPrA and for his scholarly contributions to the field. We owe to Jef Verschueren the insight that the processes through which language users (do or do not) achieve understanding among each other in communication can only be fully comprehended if approached from a pragmatic perspective, i.e. if understanding is pragmaticized.
The chapters in this book are written by scholars who, like Jef Verschueren, have played a key role in the genesis and development of the field, and who still actively contribute to its advancement today. Each author looks back, evaluates the present, and takes on new challenges.

Xiao-Li Zhou, Shanxi University, China and Ya-Xin Wu, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, China, in Pragmatics and Society Vol. 6:2 (2015):
Considering the wide range of topics covered and the thought-provoking approaches adopted, the volume is a must-read for advanced-level linguistics majors and scholars interested in pragmatic research. For lay readers curious about language issues, some of the chapters in the second half may be less demanding and arguably more accessible.