Talk in Action: Interactions, Identities, and Institutions

Introduction -- Part I. Conversation analysis and social institutions: 1. CA: some theoretical background -- 2. Talking institutions into being -- 3. Five dimensions of institutional talk -- Part II. Calls for emergency service: 4. Emergency calls as institutional talk -- 5. Emergency calls: gate-keeping and entitlement to service -- 6. Emergency calls under stress -- Part III. Doctor-patient interaction: 7. Patients' presentations of medical issues: the doctor's problem -- 8. Patients' presentations of medical issues: the patient's problem -- 9. History taking in medicine: questions and answers -- 10. Diagnosis and treatment: medical authority and its limits -- Part IV. Trials, juries and dispute resolution -- 11. Trial examinations -- 12. Jury deliberations -- 13. Informal modes of dispute resolution -- Part V. News and political communication: 14. News: turn-taking and its consequences -- 15. News: question design in the news interview and beyond -- 16. News: replies and responses -- 17. Interaction en masse: audiences and speeches -- Conclusion -- Appendix: transcription conventions -- References.

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 yearsShowcases the significance of this subject to every