This accessible and engaging text introduces the field of pragmatics, the study of the relationship between linguistic meaning and context. Assuming no prior knowledge, Siobhan Chapman surveys the development of pragmatics from the very beginning to the present day, and engages with many of the most recent debates in the field, including topics such as experimental pragmatics and (im)politeness theory. This highly-readable text focuses on core theoretical pragmatics, but also considers how pragmatics has been applied to the study of various aspects of language in use, such as literature, language acquisition and clinical linguistics. Each chapter concludes with useful suggestions for further reading, including both primary and secondary sources. Comprehensive and up-to-date, Pragmatics goes beyond an introduction, encouraging readers at all levels to understand and engage with the very latest issues and ideas.