This collection of previously unpublished, cutting-edge research discusses the conversation analysis (CA) approach to understanding language use. CA is the dominant theory for analyzing the social use of language and is concerned with the description of how speakers engage in conversation and other forms of social interaction involving language. Its proponents are not only linguists but sociologists and anthropologists as well. The unifying theme of these chapters is the intersection of practice and form through the construction of turns and sequences.

Barbara Fox's thoughtful study examines the use of anaphora in written and spoken discourse. Any treatment of anaphora must consider the hierarchical structure of its source text-types. Texts may be produced and heard or read linearly, but they are designed and understood hierarchically. Discourse structure and anaphora goes beyond the information processing concerns of cognitive science to assess the critical role played in all text-types by social, interactional and affective factors. It also takes into consideration the fact that texts are organised by socially accepted conventions. Using...