Small Talk

by Justine Coupland

This study presents a new perspective on small talk and its crucial role in everyday communication. The new approach presented here is supported by analyses of interactional data in specific settings - private and public, face-to-face and telephone talk. They vary from gossip at the family dinner table and intimate 'keeping in touch' phone conversations, to interpersonally-focused talk in institutional settings, such as the government office and the university research seminar. Drawing on a range of methodological approaches, including Discourse Analysis and Pragmatics, Interpersonal Communication and Conversation Analysis, the author elevates small talk to a new status, as functionally multifaceted, but central to social interaction as a whole.

Genres: Academic

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Lesa]

Okay- so the chapter i needed wasnt all it was supposed to be....
I think the other chapters are probably better than the one i read