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What did we learn from Istvan Kecskes? Introductory notes

  • Alessandro Capone

    Alessandro Capone obtained a doctorate in linguistics at the University of Oxford, where he was examined by James Higginbotham and Sally McConnell-Ginet. He was researcher, associate professor, and full professor of linguistics at the University of Messina. He is the editor-in-chief of the series Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy, and Psychology for Springer, and Interim Editor-in-Chief of Intercultural Pragmatics.

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Published/Copyright: December 16, 2025
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Abstract

In this article, I sum up Kecskes’ views on intercultural pragmatics, English as a lingua franca, and the socio-cognitive approach to language and communication. I try to present a coherent picture of his views by adding my own comments and considerations. I focus on the main concept of intercultural communication, the speaker’s egocentrism and salience. I also address the issue of a priori and emergent intentions. I distinguish between communal prior experience and privatized prior experience. I propose that inferential pragmatics is involved in selecting either one or the other aspect of communication. I offer some reflections on salience and the relationship between salient meanings and idealized pragmatics. I finally expatiate on situation-bound utterances and claim that they also require a notion of salience.


Corresponding author: Alessandro Capone, University of Messina, Messina, Italy, E-mail:

About the author

Alessandro Capone

Alessandro Capone obtained a doctorate in linguistics at the University of Oxford, where he was examined by James Higginbotham and Sally McConnell-Ginet. He was researcher, associate professor, and full professor of linguistics at the University of Messina. He is the editor-in-chief of the series Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy, and Psychology for Springer, and Interim Editor-in-Chief of Intercultural Pragmatics.

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Published Online: 2025-12-16
Published in Print: 2025-11-25

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