Publisher Description

Analysing Casual Conversation, first published in 1997 by Cassell, develops a systematic model for the analysis and description of casual conversation in English. Working through authentic examples of casual conversations involving participants differing in age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic class, the authors argue that despite its sometimes aimless appearance and apparently unstructured content, casual conversation is a highly structured activity and plays a critical role in the social construction of reality. Drawing on insights from sociology, linguistics and critical semiotics, the book equips readers with the analytic skills to describe the layers of structure and critical interpretive frameworks to explain the 'social work' that goes on through chat.

Author Biography

Suzanne Eggins is Senior Lecturer in the School of English, University of New South Wales, Sydney Diana Slade is Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Faculty of Education at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Collecting and transcribing casual conversation; 1. Making meanings in everyday talk; 2. Relevant approaches to analysing casual conversation; 3. The grammar of casual conversation: enacting role relations; 4. The semantics of casual conversation: encoding attitude and humour in casual conversation; 5. The discourse structure of casual conversation: negotiating support and confrontation; 6. Genre in casual conversation: telling stories; 7. Gossip: establishing and maintaining group membership; 8. Conclusion

Review

'Notably well-organized and clearly written, this book shows the reader not only how to carry out a systematic analysis but also what questions might be illuminated by doing so...All in all, Suzanne Eggins and Diana Slade have produced a valuable resource for students, teachers and researchers interested in the language and meanings of casual conversation.' Deborah Cameron 'The wide range of relevant phenomena covered and the commitment to theoretical consistency combine very effectively to yield an intellectually exciting book...I have found that students tune in exceptionally well to Eggins' and Slade's style of presentation -Analysing Casual Conversation is my favourite on the topic at the moment.' Erich Steiner 'The reader-friendly construction of the book is one of its most valuable characteristics. Because of this construction, the insights contained in the material are made available both for theoretical pursuit within the academy and for more practical application in the classroom' Susan Feez, Education Australia Online

Prizes

Short-listed for BAAL (British Association for Applied Linguistics) Book Prize 1998

Long Description

Analysing Casual Conversation, first published in 1997 by Cassell, develops a systematic model for the analysis and description of casual conversation in English. Working through authentic examples of casual conversations involving participants differing in age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic class, the authors argue that despite its sometimes aimless appearance and apparently unstructured content, casual conversation is a highly structured activity and plays a critical role in the social construction of reality. Drawing on insights from sociology, linguistics and critical semiotics, the book equips readers with the analytic skills to describe the layers of structure and critical interpretive frameworks to explain the 'social work' that goes on through chat. Suzanne Eggins is Senior Lecturer in the School of English, University of New South Wales, Sydney Diana Slade is Professor of Applied Linguistics in the Faculty of Education at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Details