How We Talk

The Inner Workings of Conversation

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Biological Sciences, Evolution, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Linguistics
Cover of the book How We Talk by N. J. Enfield, Basic Books
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Author: N. J. Enfield ISBN: 9780465093762
Publisher: Basic Books Publication: November 14, 2017
Imprint: Basic Books Language: English
Author: N. J. Enfield
ISBN: 9780465093762
Publisher: Basic Books
Publication: November 14, 2017
Imprint: Basic Books
Language: English

An expert guide to how conversation works, from how we know when to speak to why huh is a universal word

We all had teachers who scolded us over the use of um, uh-huh, oh, like, and mm-hmm. But as linguist N. J. Enfield reveals in How We Talk, these "bad words" are fundamental to language.

Whether we are speaking with the clerk at the store, our boss, or our spouse, language is dependent on things as commonplace as a rising tone of voice, an apparently meaningless word, or a glance--signals so small that we hardly pay them any conscious attention. Nevertheless, they are the essence of how we speak. From the traffic signals of speech to the importance of um, How We Talk revolutionizes our understanding of conversation. In the process, Enfield reveals what makes language universally--and uniquely--human.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

An expert guide to how conversation works, from how we know when to speak to why huh is a universal word

We all had teachers who scolded us over the use of um, uh-huh, oh, like, and mm-hmm. But as linguist N. J. Enfield reveals in How We Talk, these "bad words" are fundamental to language.

Whether we are speaking with the clerk at the store, our boss, or our spouse, language is dependent on things as commonplace as a rising tone of voice, an apparently meaningless word, or a glance--signals so small that we hardly pay them any conscious attention. Nevertheless, they are the essence of how we speak. From the traffic signals of speech to the importance of um, How We Talk revolutionizes our understanding of conversation. In the process, Enfield reveals what makes language universally--and uniquely--human.

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