Language, Truth, and Social Reality in the Work of W. Peter Robinson

Abstract

In this prologue, and after outlining the reasons for creating this double special issue in honor of W. Peter Robinson’s scholarship, the authors provide a brief biography of his academic career and achievements. The breadth of his work and important contributions to the understanding of language and communication, as well as the challenging intellectual questions and dilemmas he posed, are outlined. Particular attention is here afforded the processes of child communication and miscommunication, language and social class, and deceptive phenomena. Finally, the subsequent articles are overviewed in terms of their connection to Robinson’s concerns for the effects of context on cognition, language, and communication practices.