The Handbook of Intercultural Discourse and Communication

Intercultural discourse and communication is emerging as an important area of research in a highly globalized and connected world, where language and culture contact is frequent and cultural misunderstandings and misconceptions abound. The handbook contains contributions from established scholars and up-and-coming researchers from a range of subfields to survey the theoretical perspectives and applied work in this burgeoning area of linguistics.

This timely volume features first a part that introduces the background detailing the scope and topics of the field; followed by one that describes four different theoretical approaches and their basic research questions, from Ethnography of Speaking and John Gumperz’s Interactional Sociolinguistics to Critical Approaches and Postmodernism. The third part, “Interactional Discourse Features,” describes and explains the features of talk that are frequently studied in cross-cultural research, such as turn-taking and politeness. The volume also includes a section on Interactional Discourse sites, examining cross-cultural communication (such as Greek-Turkish discourse).

The final part considers a variety of domains in which interaction takes place, such as Translation, Business, Law, Medicine, Education, and Religion.

Scott F. Kiesling is Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Pittsburgh. His publications include the books Linguistic Variation and Change (2011) and Intercultural Discourse and Communication: The Essential Readings (Wiley-Blackwell 2005, co-edited with Christina Bratt Paulston).

Christina Bratt Paulston is Professor Emerita of Linguistics at the University of Pittsburgh. Her numerous publications include Intercultural Discourse and Communication: The Essential Readings (Wiley-Blackwell 2005, co-edited with Scott F. Kiesling), Sociolinguistics: The Essential Readings (Blackwell 2003, co-edited with G. Richard Tucker), and Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Bilingual Education (1992).

Elizabeth S. Rangel is Research Associate at Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC), a Cognitive Science Research Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. Her most recent publications include chapters in the third edition of the International Encyclopedia of Education (2010), and Innovative Learning Environments from the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (2010).