Talk in Action examines the language, identity, and interaction of social institutions, introducing students to the research methodology of Conversation Analysis.
- Features a unique focus on real-world applications of CA by examining four institutional domains: calls to emergency numbers, doctor-patient interaction, courtroom trials, and mass communication,
- Provides a theoretical and methodological overview of the roots of CA, reviewing the main developments and findings of research on talk and social institutions conducted over the past 25 years
- Showcases the significance of this subject to everyday events, making it ideal for students coming to the field for the first time
- Written by two leading figures in the field of Conversation Analysis
1 Introduction 1
Part 1 Conversation Analysis and Social Institutions 5
2 Conversation Analysis: Some Theoretical Background 7
3 Talking Social Institutions into Being 20
4 Dimensions of Institutional Talk 34
Part 2 Calls for Emergency Service 51
5 Emergency Calls as Institutional Talk 53
6 Gatekeeping and Entitlement to Emergency Service 69
7 Emergency Calls under Stress 87
Part 3 Doctor–Patient Interaction 101
8 Patients’ Presentations of Medical Issues: The Doctor’s Problem 103
9 Patients’ Presentations of Medical Issues: The Patient’s Problem 119
10 History Taking in Medicine: Questions and Answers 135
11 Diagnosis and Treatment: Medical Authority and Its Limits 154
Part 4 Trials, Juries, and Dispute Resolution 171