
Conversational Style
Analyzing Talk among Friends
Deborah Tannen(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 18. August 2005
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-0-19-522181-7 (ISBN)
Description
This revised edition of Deborah Tannen's first discourse analysis book, Conversational Style-first published in 1984-presents an approach to analyzing conversation that later became the hallmark and foundation of her extensive body of work in discourse analysis, including the monograph Talking Voices, as well as her well-known popular books You Just Don't Understand, That's Not What I Meant!, and Talking from 9 to 5, among others.
Carefully examining the discourse of six speakers over the course of a two-and-a-half hour Thanksgiving dinner conversation, Tannen analyzes the features that make up the speakers' conversational styles, and in particular how aspects of what she calls a 'high-involvement style' have a positive effect when used with others who share the style, but a negative effect with those whose styles differ. This revised edition includes a new preface and an afterword in which Tannen discusses the book's place in the evolution of her work.
Conversational Style is written in an accessible and non-technical style that should appeal to scholars and students of discourse analysis (in fields like linguistics, anthropology, communication, sociology, and psychology) as well as general readers fascinated by Tannen's popular work. This book is an ideal text for use in introductory classes in linguistics and discourse analysis.
Carefully examining the discourse of six speakers over the course of a two-and-a-half hour Thanksgiving dinner conversation, Tannen analyzes the features that make up the speakers' conversational styles, and in particular how aspects of what she calls a 'high-involvement style' have a positive effect when used with others who share the style, but a negative effect with those whose styles differ. This revised edition includes a new preface and an afterword in which Tannen discusses the book's place in the evolution of her work.
Conversational Style is written in an accessible and non-technical style that should appeal to scholars and students of discourse analysis (in fields like linguistics, anthropology, communication, sociology, and psychology) as well as general readers fascinated by Tannen's popular work. This book is an ideal text for use in introductory classes in linguistics and discourse analysis.
Reviews / Votes
Praise for earlier edition: "By far the most interesting and accessible--and fun!--introduction to conversational style that I know of. Students love it, and I use it as a required textbook whenever I teach sociolinguistics."--Doug Biber, Northern Arizona University Praise for earlier edition: "Interesting and valuable for both laypersons and students."--Language Praise for earlier edition: "A contribution not only for the general reader but for any researcher or student interested in conversation."--Language and SocietyMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
4 tables, 4 black and white illustrations, 2 line drawings
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
382 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-522181-7 (9780195221817)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
07/2005
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€26.49
Available for download

E-Book
07/2005
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€26.49
Available for download
Person
Deborah Tannen is University Professor and Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University. She followed the first edition of this book, published in 1984, with Gender and Discourse (OUP, 1994), and is the editor of Framing in Discourse and Gender and Conversational Interaction (both OUP, 1993). In all, she has published nineteen books highlighting gender differences in discourse, including most notably The New York Times Best Seller You Just Don't Understand.
Author
University Professor and Professor of LinguisticsUniversity Professor and Professor of Linguistics, Georgetown University
Content
REFERENCES; AUTHOR INDEX; SUBJECT INDEX