[Book review] Review of Kecskes, Istvan - intercultural pragmatics (Oxford University Press)

Abstract

Istvan Kecskes’ latest book is essentially an overview and extension of his substantial previous research in the domain of intercultural communication. Given that Kecskes has almost single-handedly drawn attention to this neglected subfield of pragmatics, this monograph can easily be seen as a milestone in itself. In it, the author goes beyond the mere concretisation of his significant contribution to the understanding of language use across cultural boundaries; effectively, he manages to establish intercultural pragmatics as a legitimate enterprise that is not only worthwhile and interesting in its own right but can also provide significant insights for the more traditional study of theoretical pragmatics. In this respect, this work is of potential interest to both advanced researchers in the area of pragmatics and graduate students interested in it. [Excerpt]