Pragmatics and emotion Most books on linguistic pragmatics overlook the role of emotion in communication. This book faces the challenges head on by providing an original study of how we communicate our emotions through language integrating affect in pragmatic theory. Innovative yet accessible it is essential reading for anyone interested in communication and emotion It has long been received wisdom in semantics and pragmatics that the head and the heart are two opposing forces a view that has led scholars until now to explore the mental processes behind cognition and the mental processes behind emotion as two separate entities. This bold innovative book challenges this view and provides an original study of how we communicate our emotions through language drawing on both pragmatic theory and affective science. It begins with the assumption that emotional or expressive meaning plays such a central role in human interaction that any pragmatic theory worth its salt must account for it. It meets the associated challenges head on and strives to integrate affect within one theory of utterance interpretation showing that emotional meaning and rationality reasoning can be analysed within one framework. Written in a clear and concise style it is essential reading for anyone interested in communication and emotion