ABSTRACT
Let’s begin with a scenario. Walking at a brisk pace along the footpath, I pass a mother with a small boy in a pushchair and a small girl trotting along beside them. As I pass, this exchange occurs:
(1) SMALL BOY: Man ME: Is that your brother SMALL GIRL: Yes ME: It takes all sorts MOTHER: It certainly does
Unexceptional, you might think, but from a pragmaticist’s point of view, this exchange, like any other, is far from uninteresting. Let’s look at it utterance by utterance.
