This is an introduction to linguistic pragmatics, with a particular focus on a range of information- structuring processes in informal native English discourse. This involves the foregrounding and backgrounding of elements within utterances, involving non-canonical word order (including clefting, topicalization, and left/right dislocation), the insertion of discourse particles (such as the infamous originally American English "like"), and intonational strategies. We will also look at how these pragmatic alternations are interpreted by non-native speakers, how competing strategies from other languages (including Finnish) may be transferred into non-native English usage, and how these competing strategies may persist in "ethnic" native varieties of English.

The course will consist of weekly instruction, weekly readings to be summarized orally by pairs of students, active participation in discussions, short data collection assignments, and a final exam.