ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explains how contextual elements, such as sociocultural, interactional, and personal factors, can affect how L1 Chinese speakers conduct and view a communicative act and how their practice of the act interacts with their perceptions of the act. It describes the theoretical background of the research; the model of context, practice, and perception; and data collection. The book illustrates the participants’ perceptions of the (in)appropriateness of extended concurrent speech for strong disagreement in the conversations collected. It summarizes the influence of context on the research findings in the fields of Chinese (im)politeness and English as a Multilingua Franca pragmatics. The book also illustrates the coinage of various terms related to English from different contextual perspectives. It is a valuable resource for both teachers and learners of Mandarin and English.
