Abstract:

Cognitive pragmatics is an emerging interdisciplinary subject that integrates the psychological cognitive mechanisms of cognitive linguistics with core elements of pragmatics such as context and speech acts. Over the past four decades, it has developed into a hot research area in the development of linguistics. This paper employs descriptive statistical analysis through the comparison and examination of relevant literature, with the aim of systematically clarifying the developmental trajectory, core issues, and current frontiers of cognitive pragmatics research abroad. Research findings indicate that the field has undergone three de velopmental phases: the theoretical foundation phase (1985-1999), the theoretical deepening and innovative phase (2000-2010), and the phase of empirical expansion and interdisciplinary integration (2011 to present). Core issues span five dimensions: mechanisms of pragmatic reasoning, the psychological construction and dynamic integration of contextual meaning, the modularity debate, the sociocultural turn, and the assessment and intervention of cognitive-pragmatic competencies. Current research faces several major problems, including: divergences between cognitive and pragmatic approaches regarding conceptual definitions, difficulties in achieving a “stable equilibrium” across dual dimensions, the lack of a systematic explanatory framework for meaning-construction mechanisms, abroad scope of applied research but insufficient depth, and standardization challenges for emerging empirical methods. Finally, this paper identifies four major trends in cognitive pragmatics: theoretical integration, deepening interdisciplinary convergence, the multimodality of research subjects, and strengthened interaction between theory and practice. The study argues that cognitive pragmatics must embrace interdisciplinary collaboration while maintaining theoretical depth, and through methodological innovation and theoretical integration, to fulfill its disciplinary mission as a bridge between cognition and pragmatics.

Key words: Cognitive pragmatics, developmental stages, core issues, research outlook, interdisciplinary integration