Intercultural Communication (Language in Society)

" The theoretical discussions are excellent. The Scollons provide a unique combination of all the essential topics in cross-cultural communication, a sophisticated and original theoretical framework, and an unusually well-organized and concise presentation of the material. The book is extremely well written: it is clear and full of telling examples. I can't imagine a better treatment of the topic." Deborah Tannen, Georgetown University " The Scollons mix contemporary linguistic anthropology with modern concerns over intercultural communication and forge a creative, important blend. Their lively and accessible approach will enlighten anyone who lives and works in our culturally diverse world." Michael Agar, University of Maryland "I was faced with the quandary of how to communicate to my students all that I wanted to teach them about face, politeness, power, communicative style, and discourse - without having to ask them to purchase a very expensive packet of readings. It seems that academic providence took care of me, because at that point the Scollons' book was published. Since then I have used it with great success in my class, which serves students across the spectrum of disciplines." Christina Kakava, Mary Washington College

This volume is both an introduction and practical guide to the main concepts and problems of intercultural communication. Viewed from within the framework of interactive sociolinguistics, this volume focuses in particular on the discourse of westerners and of Asians, the discourse of men and women, corporate discourse and the discourse of professional organizations, and inter-generational discourse. While making use of research in pragmatics, discourse analysis, organizational communications, social psychology, and the ethnography of communication, this book presents students, researchers and practitioners with a unified framework for the analysis of discourse.