This text provides a succinct introduction to the field of pragmatics, the study of language from the point of view of its users - of the choices they make, the constraints they encounter in using language in social interaction and the effects their use of language has on other participants in an act of communication. Reviewing the work of Austin, Grice, Searle, Sacks and others, the book includes chapters on what we say when we do not say (explicitly) what we mean; on the regularities and irregularities of everyday conversation; on the social importance and the societal determination of even the least consciously proffered act of language. It aims to introduce the reader to the complexities of language use, and the use of language for cognitive and social effect.