How Conversation Works

by Ronald Wardhaugh

Conversation is very often spontaneous, natural and informal. But even at its most casual it is governed by rules and principles of language and behaviour. This book lays bare the structure of conversation, describing what happens when people talk to each other and explaining why they say what they say in a wide variety of circumstances. Ronald Wardhaugh explores many aspects of conversation, asking how conversations start, how we decide who will speak next, how we change the subject, and how we know when a conversation has finished. How Conversation Works is the most accessible guide to discourse analysis and pragmatics yet written and will be read with profit and enjoyment by students and general readers alike.

Genres: Canada

239 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book since it delivers information on most parts of conversation analysis relevant to my current research. I found the content simple and really easy to follow. Each chapter ends with good sources of references (I'd def check them out!) which is really helpful if you want to delve deeper into a particular aspect of analysis. I have now read a few books and articles on conversation/discourse analysis and therefore, I am confident to say that Ronald does a great job of covering almost every aspect of the topic. The book is very well-researched. What I found most interesting about this book is that Ronald has managed to turn a dry and complicated topic into something fun and personal!

[Indah]

Ronald Wardhaugh