Second Edition

Cambridge University Press, 2007

Written in readable, non-technical prose, this book presents the scholarly research that forms the foundation for Deborah Tannen's books, both general-audience and scholarly, about how language works in everyday conversation, and the role of language in human interaction. It proposes a framework for understanding how conversation creates meaning and negotiates relationships. A significant theoretical and methodological contribution to both linguistic and literary analysis, it uses transcripts of tape-recorded conversation to demonstrate that everyday conversation is made up of features that are associated with literary discourse: repetition, dialogue dialogue (often called “reported speech”), and details that create imagery. Put another way, literary discourse builds on and elaborates linguistic strategies that are fundamental to everyday conversation. Through analysis of spoken and written discourse, both conversational and literary, Tannen explores the scenic and musical basis of both textual meaning and interpersonal involvement in discourse. She shows that repetition establishes rhythm and meaning by patterns of constants and contrasts, while dialogue and details create scenes peopled by characters in relation to each other, doing things that are culturally and personally recognizable and meaningful.

This second edition features a new introduction in which the author shows the relationship between the work presented here and research that has appeared since its original publication in 1989. In particular, she shows its relevance to the contemporary topic “intertextuality,” and provides an invaluable summary of research on that topic.