Exploring the Power of Social Talk in a Foreign Language

<p>This book examines the fundamental interactional dimension to foreign language communication including the establishment development consolidation and maintenance of interpersonal relations. It argues that interpersonal language use such as small talk casual conversation and gossipy talk is not only key to meaningful and productive communication but that it is an essential dimension with respect to successful foreign language interaction and that engaging in interpersonal language is communicatively valuable and worthwhile in its own right. Crucially it explores how teaching and learning can utilise the role of social talk and relational engagement in helping interactants to express voice and convey their own values attitudes and beliefs. Finally it develops a critical relational pedagogy focused on language speakers’ needs objectives and desires. Redressing the imbalance between transactional and interactional language teaching and stressing the importance of phatic and relational language use in helping language users achieve their communicative goals it will appeal to researchers postgraduates and scholars in the fields of education and linguistics.</p>