Let's talk : how English conversation works / David Crystal.
| Author/creator | Crystal, David, 1941- author. |
| Format | Book |
| Edition | First edition. |
| Publication | Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2020. |
| Description | x, 206 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Greetings! : good mornings -- In the beginning… : conversation cards -- A thousand years of conversation : battle rapping -- Exchanges : an unusual exchange -- Taking turns-or not : telephone turns -- Interrupting : one-sided turns -- What we talk about : topical allusions -- How we talk about it : enjoy! -- Taking it easy : phone beginnings -- Story-telling : a thousand days -- Stylistic options : hello, Dave -- The vocal and the visual : Dickensian pauses -- Conversation as theatre : always a conversation -- Online ‘conversations’ : online help -- Cultural conversations : a case of cultural misunderstanding -- Breaking the rules : the father of it all -- Does conversation change? : new openings, reactions, and closings -- #Almost done. |
| Summary | Banter, chit-chat, gossip, natter, tete-a-tete: these are just a few of the terms for the varied ways in which we interact with one another through conversation. David Crystal explores the factors that motivate so many different kinds of talk and reveals the rules we use unconsciously, even in the most routine exchanges of everyday conversation. We tend to think of conversation as something spontaneous, instinctive, habitual. It has been described as an art, as a game, sometimes even as a battle. Whichever metaphor we use, most people are unaware of what the rules are, how they work, and how we can bend and break them when circumstances warrant it. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages [197]-198) and index. |
| ISBN | 0198850697 hardback |
| ISBN | 9780198850694 hardback |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyner | General Stacks | P95.45 .C79 2020 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |