Communication, strategic action in context

This book attempts to outline a descriptively adequate basis for the study of human communication. It does so by advocating a pragmatic approach to communication, an approach based on the study of language use in context. This approach provides a basis for integrating the study of verbal communication across diverse settings, tasks, and participants. In addition, this approach may provide a basis for studying nonverbal communication as well ... -- from Preface (p. xi).