Overview

"Learning how to listen to and analyze talk is fundamental to understanding human communication. This text examines how the ""little stuff"" of everyday conversation - what we say and how we say it, the terms we use to refer to others, the content and style of stories we tell, and myriad other factors - expresses both who we are and who we want to be. The book draws on discourse analytic research and applies it to a wide range of real-life situations and examples, including private conversations among friends and family as well as interchanges in the classroom, workplace and public settings. Interweaving rhetorical and cultural perspectives, the author gives particular attention to the ways talk reflects the communicator's cultural and social background, nationality, ethnicity, social class and gender, as well as the dynamics between particular conversational partners. Illuminated is the complex role that talking plays in building relationships and creating - and hopefully, resolving - relational problems."

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9781572307896

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Reviews

'An excellent text... Readable enough for undergraduates, it will also serve as a useful sourcebook for graduate students and professionals. The book is grounded in literature that is extensive and varied, yet coherently presented. It has a clear focus that makes a sophisticated set of materials accessible without oversimplification. Students will especially appreciate the many excellent concrete examples.' - Kristine L. Fitch, University of Iowa 'Tracy shows an impressive command of the diverse literature of language and social interaction research, and has selected some provocative as well as classic works... This book is easily the best of its kind to date.' - Richard Buttny, Syracuse University 'An exciting alternative to most other texts on the market! Tracy makes accessible to a novice audience concepts from various discourse centered fields of study. Her engaging writing style and use of examples from everyday life give the book student appeal without compromising a solid foundation in empirical research.' - Daena J. Goldsmith, University of Illinois 'This book is unique in adopting rhetorical and cultural perspectives in linking discourse and identity. Providing a wealth of conversational examples in each chapter, the author shows great sensitivity to the discursive practices within, as well as outside, the United States... I can't think of a better text for teaching my undergraduate seminar in communication and culture with a focus on discursive practices.' - Mariko Kotani, Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan 'Not only will [this book] serve well as a primary text for courses in conversational processes, but it will also function well as a supplementary text in courses on intercultural communication, interpersonal and family communication, and organizational communication, as well as introductory social psychology courses. In short, this text will be useful and relevant for any undergraduate or graduate course that addresses how the dynamics of talk function to construct and reflect social identities.' - Sandra Metts, Illinois State University

Author Information

Karen Tracy is Professor of Communication at the University of Colorado. The author of one previous book and more than 40 articles and book chapters, she has served as editor of Research on Language and Social Interaction.

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