Neuropragmatics: from classical pragmatics to neurocognitive models of pragmatics in dialogue

Over the past 30 years, there has been significant development in the understanding of the brain mechanisms underlying pragmatic processing. The primary purpose of the present review is to delve into the origins of neuropragmatics, defined as the study of the neural basis of pragmatic processing, tracing its development from the foundations of traditional pragmatics. Moreover, this review aims to deepen the understanding of the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying pragmatic processing. Throughout this review, the topic of neuropragmatics is addressed through diverse theoretical frameworks modeling how the pragmatic information is treated. Then, the neural substrates and neurophysiological correlates of pragmatic processing are outlined, with particular interest in the study of speech acts which emerged more recently at the brain level. Lastly, we discuss promising directions to address the questions that remain unresolved in the field of neuropragmatics, which have huge impacts on methodological and societal aspects.