Multi-Layering Communicative Contexts: A Cognitive-Pragmatic Perspective of Metacommunication

Abstract

Gregory Bateson's idea of ‘metacommunication’ has been quoted as “communication about communication” in many studies of different research areas, from child-development research to psychotherapeutic studies. It is important to note that metacommunication is not limited to relational coordination in communication or to an interpretation framework for verbal/nonverbal behavior. By tracing Bateson's original thoughts on metacommunication and reviewing Goffman's idea of ‘frame’ from the viewpoint of cognitive pragmatics, this paper clarifies that the functional roles of metacommunication are twofold: delimiting and directing. In conclusion, metacommunication creates multi-layers in context as the interface between cognition and interaction of participants in communication.