Discourse, Materiality, and Agency within Everyday Social Interactions

Dariush Izadi (Western Sydney University)

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English

Cambridge University Press
08 January 2026

Sociolinguistics; Semantics; Material culture; Social & cultural anthropology

Series: Elements in Applied Linguistics

Summary
Details

This Element investigates the interplay between language, discourse, and materiality by focusing on everyday social practices within corner shops and markets in Sydney, Australia. Drawing on linguistic ethnography and data from interactions involving objects, talk, and people, it explores how discourse and materiality are co-constituted. Employing theoretical perspectives from actor-network theory and the concept of mediational means/tools, the study reconceptualizes the role of non-human entities in meaning-making processes. It demonstrates that objects actively participate in shaping cultural practices and social dynamics, offering new insights that broaden applied linguistics' engagement with materiality. By treating objects as agents in discourse, this Element highlights the entanglement of language, agency, and the material world. It foregrounds the dynamic relationships between humans and non-humans in everyday communicative practices, bringing to the fore the significance of material conditions in the production of meaning and interaction.

By: Dariush Izadi (Western Sydney University)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Weight: 265g
ISBN: 9781009675376
ISBN 10: 1009675370
Series: Elements in Applied Linguistics
Pages: 88
Publication Date: 08 January 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active