Let's Talk: How English Conversation Works

Let's Talk: How English Conversation WorksBanter, 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

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.


Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Published: 08/03/2020
ISBN: 9780198850694
Pages: 224
Weight: 0.75lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.50w x 0.90d