Let's Talk

How English Conversation Works

David Crystal

$43.95

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Oxford University Press
06 August 2020

Language: history & general works; linguistics; Semantics

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.

By: David Crystal
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 222mm, Width: 141mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 339g
ISBN: 9780198850694
ISBN 10: 0198850697
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 06 August 2020
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

1: Greetings! 2: In the beginning... 3: A thousand years of conversation 4: Exchanges 5: Taking turns - or not 6: Interrupting 7: What we talk about 8: How we talk about it 9: Taking it easy 10: Story-telling 11: Stylistic options 12: The vocal and the visual 13: Conversation as theatre 14: Online 'conversations' 15: Cultural conversations 16: Breaking the rules 17: Does conversation change? 18: #Almost done Epilogue References Index

David Crystal is known throughout the world as a writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster on language. He has published extensively on the history and development of English, including egat: The King James Bible and the English Language (2010), The Story of English in 100 Words (2011), Spell It Out: The Singular Story of English Spelling (2012), Wordsmiths and Warriors: The English-Language Tourist's Guide to Britain (with Hilary Crystal, 2013), The Oxford Dictionary of Original Shakespearean Pronunciation (2016), and The Story of Be: A Verb's-Eye View of the English Language (2017).

Reviews for Let's Talk: How English Conversation Works

For the teacher or advanced student there are masses of insights in the book and examples of how language is used to manage conversation... For Crystal the aim of a conversation is to make every-one happy or, at least, satisfied at the end. Citing Dr Johnson once again, conversation should create 'a pleasing impression'. David Crystal has definitely achieved that. * Barry Tomalin, Training, Language & Culture * For Crystal, the aim of a conversation is to make everyone happy or, at least, satisfied at the end ... [he] has definitely achieved that. * Training, Language & Culture * A useful addition to an English teacher's armoury and certain to pique students' interest in the language that happens all around them, all the time... Let's Talk is a powerful statement about our species and the centrality to it of conversation in all its collaborative glory. * Nikolai Luck, Teaching English *