How do people engage in and competently manage discourse and interaction with others? Whether in informal, everyday conversations or professional dialogues, people do things while they are speaking or writing.

Focusing on the fundamental interactional, social, political and cultural functions of text and talk, this comprehensive volume shows that discourse is not merely form and meaning but also action. This social dimension of discourse is further highlighted by examining the role of social identity and group membership, such as those based on gender, 'race' and ethnicity: How do members of various groups typically speak among each other and how do they communicate with people of other groups or cultures? What is the role of discourse in the perpetuation of sexism or racism? Several chapters use critical discourse analysis to examine the reproduction of social power, dominance and inequality, and special attention is paid to political and corporate discourse. Other contributions show that the complex interplay of the forms, meanings, and actions of discourse both shape and are shaped by culture.

About the Author
Teun A. van Dijk is a Visiting Professor at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. From 1980 to 2006 he held a personal chair as Professor of Discourse Studies at the University of Amsterdam. A world leading scholar of discourse studies and author of over 250 books and articles, he edits the SAGE journals Disourse & Society, Discourse Studies, and Discourse and Communication.

Reviews
`Because of the quality of [its] articles, Discourse as Social Interaction will constitute a very useful accompaniment to any course on discourse' - Language in Society



Book Information
ISBN 9780803978478
Author Teun A. van Dijk
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Sage Publications Ltd
Publisher Sage Publications Ltd
Weight(grams) 520g