The Semantics and pragmatics research group of the University of Neuchâtel, founded in October 2005, gathers scholars working on semantics and pragmatics inside the Institute for Language and Communication Sciences, and a number of partners outside of it. The group is developing a procedural pragmatic approach around closely-related themes, sometimes unexpectedly so: time, subjectivity, indexicality, modality, argumentation, manipulative discourse, and attitudinal implicatures in reported speech. This is done without losing track of the historical view of the domain, the state of the art and reflections on contemporary approaches to language. The group seeks to produce a thoroughly semantic and pragmatic contribution to current issues in language and communication sciences.

(The School of Athens, Raphael, detail)

Along with the research carried out by doctoral students (see here), the team completed a research project funded by the SNF (Non-descriptive uses of temporal expressions) exploring the link between temporality and argumentation. Additional projects are currently in preparation or under submission, notably concerning the issue of speaker commitment on the one hand and persuasive and argumentative discourse on the other.

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