Abstract

Researchers within the ethnographic paradigm strive for enhanced, contextualised understandings of pragmatic phenomena as understood within the wider social system. This typically involves incorporation of both emic (partici-pant) and etic (analysts’ technical) perspectives. In this chapter we unpack some of the principles underlying the paradigm by describing the foundations of ethnogra-phy, the emergence and development of ethnographic methods within pragmatics and a range of data collection techniques and analytic approaches used in ethno-graphic research. By way of illustration we draw on our own experiences inves-tigating pragmatic issues within workplace talk. In this chapter we also reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of an ethnographic approach, focusing in particularon the objectivity-subjectivity divide, the associated time commitment and the ethnographer’s attitude to generalisability. We conclude by discussing the potential benefits that the approach offers for future work on pragmatic phenomena.