This book, first published in 1996, argues that language use is more than the sum of a speaker speaking and a listener listening. It is the joint action that emerges when speakers and listeners - writers and readers - perform their individual actions in coordination, as ensembles. The author argues strongly that language use embodies both individual and social processes.
Preface; Part I. Introduction: 1. Language use; Part II. Foundations: 2. Joint activities; 3. Joint actions; 4. Common ground; Part III. Communicative Acts: 5. Meaning and understanding; 6. Signaling; Part IV. Levels of Action: 7. Joint projects; 8. Grounding; 9. Utterances; Part V. Discourse: 10. Joint commitment; 11. Conversation; 12. Layering; Part VI. Conclusion: 13. Conclusion; References.
