Pragmatics is a subfield of linguistics and semiotics that studies the ways in which context contributes to meaning. Pragmatics encompasses speech act theory, conversational implicature, talk in interaction and other approaches to language behavior in philosophy, sociology, linguistics and anthropology. Unlike semantics, which examines meaning that is conventional or "coded" in a given language, pragmatics studies how the transmission of meaning depends not only on structural and linguistic knowledge of the speaker and listener but also on the context of the utterance, any pre-existing knowledge about those involved, the inferred intent of the speaker, and other factors. In that respect, pragmatics explains how language users are able to overcome apparent ambiguity since meaning relies on the manner, place, time, etc. of an utterance.
George Philip Lakoff is an American cognitive linguist and philosopher, best known for his thesis that lives of individuals are significantly influenced by the central metaphors they use to explain complex phenomena.
Judith Pamela Butler is an American philosopher and gender theorist whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminist, queer, and literary theory. In 1993, she began teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, where she has served, beginning in 1998, as the Maxine Elliot Professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and the Program of Critical Theory. She is also the Hannah Arendt Chair at the European Graduate School.
Stephen Jay Greenblatt is an American Shakespearean, literary historian, and author. He has served as the John Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University since 2000. Greenblatt is the general editor of The Norton Shakespeare (2015) and the general editor and a contributor to The Norton Anthology of English Literature.
Sarah-Jane Duncanson "Trinny" Woodall is an English TV celebrity, founder of TRINNY LONDON, fashion and makeover expert, television presenter and author. In 1994, after ten years working in marketing, Woodall met Susannah Constantine whom she joined to write a weekly fashion column for The Daily Telegraph. This led to the launch of their own internet fashion-advice business and the release of their first fashion-advice book.
Body language is a type of a nonverbal communication in which physical behaviors, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey the information. Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space. Body language exists in both animals and humans, but this article focuses on interpretations of human body language. It is also known as kinesics.
Ahmed Rashid is a journalist and best-selling foreign policy author of several books about Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia.
Lee Carroll Bollinger is an American lawyer and educator who is serving as the 19th and current President of Columbia University, where he is also the Seth Low Professor of the University and a faculty member of Columbia Law School. Formerly the president of the University of Michigan, he is a noted legal scholar of the First Amendment and freedom of speech. He was at the center of two notable United States Supreme Court cases regarding the use of affirmative action in admissions processes. In July 2010, Bollinger was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York board of directors for 2011. Previously, he had served as deputy chair. In 2004, he was honoured to be a member of the American Philosophical Society.
John Hamilton McWhorter V is an American academic and associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, where he teaches linguistics, American studies, philosophy, and music history. He is the author of a number of books on language and on race relations, and his writing has appeared in many prominent magazines. His research specializes on how creole languages form, and how language grammars change as the result of sociohistorical phenomena.
Louise Lynn Hay was an American motivational author and the founder of Hay House. She authored several New Thought self-help books, including the 1984 book, You Can Heal Your Life.
Cultural intelligence or cultural quotient (CQ) is a term used in business, education, government and academic research. Cultural intelligence can be understood as the capability to relate and work effectively across cultures. Originally, the term cultural intelligence and the abbreviation "CQ" was developed by the research done by Christopher Earley (2002) and Earley and Soon Ang (2003). During the same period, researchers David Thomas and Kerr Inkson worked on a complementary framework of CQ as well. A few years later, Ang Soon and Linn Van Dyne worked on a scale development of the CQ construct as a researched-based way of measuring and predicting intercultural performance.
Tavar Zawacki is an American abstract artist based in Berlin, Germany. For twenty years (1996–2016) Tavar Zawacki created and signed all of his artworks with his street artist pseudonym, 'ABOVE'. At the age of 19, Zawacki bought a one-way flight from California to Paris, France, bringing with him a backpack full of art supplies, all the money in his bank account, and a 'rise above your fears' approach to starting his art career. Starting in Paris in 2000, Tavar transitioned from painting traditional letter style graffiti of A-B-O-V-E, to his 'Above arrow' icon that represented his optimistic mentality to 'rise above fears, challenges, and anything holding you back from your goals.' During a 20-year period, the artworks of ABOVE could be seen in over 100 cities spanning 50 countries around the world.
Timothy Ferriss is an American entrepreneur, investor, author, and podcaster.
Alison Gopnik is an American professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. She is known for her work in the areas of cognitive and language development, specializing in the effect of language on thought, the development of a theory of mind, and causal learning. Her writing on psychology and cognitive science has appeared in Science, Scientific American, The Times Literary Supplement, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, New Scientist, Slate and others. Her body of work also includes four books and over 100 journal articles.
Joe Navarro is a Cuban-born American author, public speaker, and former FBI agent and supervisor. Navarro specializes in the area of nonverbal communication and body language, and has authored numerous books, including What Every Body Is Saying, Dangerous Personalities, Louder Than Words, Three Minutes to Doomsday, and The Dictionary of Body Language.
Joseph Alden Reiman is an American advertising businessman and author.
Chris Kilham is an author, educator, and world-traveler researching and promoting plant-based medicines. He is the founder of Medicine Hunter, Inc., and was a Fox News integrative alternative medicine TV personality and columnist for 9 years. He is the author of 14 books, including The Ayahuasca Test Pilots Handbook - The Essential Guide to Ayahuasca Journeying, The Five Tibetans, Tales from The Medicine Trail, Psyche Delicacies, and Kava: Medicine Hunting in Paradise. The New York Times has referred to Kilham as “part David Attenborough, part Indiana Jones." Richard Branson writes about Kilham's sustainability work in his book, Screw Business as Usual.
Nick Morgan is an American speaking coach and author.
Kenneth Gordon Eade is an American attorney, environmental and political activist, and author of political and legal thrillers.
Marco Borges is a New York Times best-selling author, an exercise physiologist and the founder & CEO of 22 Days Nutrition, a plant-based lifestyle solutions company with a popular vegan nutrition program and meal delivery service. Working as celebrity personal trainer, Borges inspired Jay-Z and Beyonce to adopt a plant-based lifestyle. He’s also known for working with Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Seacrest, Pharrell Williams and Gloria Estefan, among others.
