Methods in Historical Corpus Pragmatics

Presents both a new, corpus-driven method to analyse pragmatic functions and an exploration of epistemic stance in Early Modern English.

Drawing on an extensive corpus-based study, this book explores theoretical and empirical discussions of stance research applied to data from Early Modern English. It also presents a new method for the study of pragmatic phenomena, making it essential reading for researchers and students in both historical pragmatics and corpus pragmatics.Based on an extensive corpus-based study, this revealing book explores how epistemic stance is expressed in the early modern period, and in doing so, presents new methodologies for using corpora to investigate issues in historical pragmatics. It provides a new, corpus-driven method for the analysis of pragmatic functions that rely on context-dependent interpretations. By retrieving passages that include a high-density of the pragmatic function under investigation, the subsequent analysis can reveal previously neglected forms and context-dependent factors. It includes four empirical studies that apply the method to the analysis of epistemic stance in four Early Modern English corpora, the result of which emphasise the importance of context for the expression of stance. It also includes an appendix with inventories of Early Modern English stance expressions, offering starting points for further research studies. It is essential reading for researchers and students in historical pragmatics and corpus pragmatics.