Janicki’s text covers a lot of areas of inquiry, from cognitive linguistics to political communication and from pragmatics to psychology and philosophy of language. The discussion is lucid, thought-provoking and reader-friendly. Anyone seeking to have a deep understanding of those extraordinary aspects of ordinary language would find this book inviting and revealing. Those new to the field of language studies will give the book a big thumbs up for its clear explanations of thick theories supported by numerous real-life examples.
Chaoqun Xie, Discourse Studies, Vol. 19 (2)
Each of the volume’s eight chapters contains a real story … that works as a meaningful and tangible illustration of the key concepts, followed by a section entitled ‘Summary and practical advice’ … Recommendable as an introductory text for students in linguistics and communication, also scholars of linguistics and nonspecialists will certainly find it a valuable reading. Its attentive consideration of significant aspects involving language use and the appearance/avoidance of conflicts makes this work really compelling and thought-provoking.
Beatriz Christino, Sociolinguistic Studies, Vol. 10 (1-2)