Language and Conflict

Preface.- Note for teachers.- Introduction.- 1. Mixing words and other things: A reason for conflict.- 2. Framing: How we talk differently about the same thing.- 3. Emotions: How words can influence our reasoning.- 4. Descriptions, inferences and evaluations: Different levels of abstraction and conflict.- 5. Euphemisms, dysphemisms, and political correctness: How we can get misdirected.- 6. Communicative competence: How we may misinterpret other people's linguistic behaviour.- 7. Meaning: How conflicts revolve around the definitions of words.- 8. Linguistics for peace education.- Conclusion: A trip to the Matsés.- Glossary.- References.- Index.

Karol Janicki is a Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages at the University of Bergen, Norway

"Janicki's text covers a lot of areas of inquiry, from cognitive linguistics to political communication and from pragmatics to psychology and philosophy of language. The discussion is lucid, thought-provoking and reader-friendly. Anyone seeking to have a deep understanding of those extraordinary aspects of ordinary language would find this book inviting and revealing. Those new to the field of language studies will give the book a big thumbs up for its clear explanations of thick theories supported by numerous real-life examples." (Chaoqun Xie, Discourse Studies, Vol. 19 (2), 2017)
"Each of the volume's eight chapters contains a real story ... that works as a meaningful and tangible illustration of the key concepts, followed by a section entitled 'Summary and practical advice'. ... recommendable as an introductory text for students in linguistics and communication, also scholars of linguistics and nonspecialists will certainly find it a valuable reading. Its attentive consideration of significant aspects involving language use and the appearance/avoidance of conflicts makes this work really compelling and thought-provoking." (Beatriz Christino, Sociolinguistic Studies, Vol. 10 (1-2), June, 2016)