Social accountability in communication

Much of our talk revolves around accounting for our own and other people's actions. We praise one person and blame another, justify our own actions, speculate on motives, tell and retell problematic events. This book draws upon speech communication, sociology and social psychology to offer an original and interdisciplinary approach to such accounts.

Richard Buttny examines social accountability within communication contexts that range from a therapy session to welfare and broadcast news interviews, from everyday conversation to discussions in a Zen monastery. Throughout his wide-ranging analysis of accounts talk, he integrates conversation analytic methods with social constructionism.

Fluently written, Social Accountability in Communication is a comprehensive and accessible work which will be essential reading for students and academics interested in language and social interaction.