Language, truth, and social reality in the work of W. Peter Robinson: A prologue

In this prologue, and after outlining the reasons for creating this double special issue in honor of W. Peter Robinson's scholarship, the authors prov ide a brief biography of his academic career and achievements. The breadth of his work and important contributions to the understanding of language an d communication, as well as the challenging intellectual questions and dile mmas he posed are outlined. Particular attention is here afforded the proce sses 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 con text on cognition, language, and communication practices.