Reviewed by Richard W. Hallett, Northeastern Illinois University

This book is the result of a conversation analysis (CA) course at the University of California at Los Angeles on the topic of talk and social institutions. Its aim is to offer examples of how interactional practices can be analyzed and explained.

Following Ch 1, ‘Introduction’ (1–3), the main chapters are organized in five parts.  Part 1, ‘Conversation analysis and social institutions’, is comprised of  Ch. 2, ‘Conversation analysis: Some theoretical background’ (7–19), which briefly discusses the contributions of some linguists to CA and lists the basic assumptions of CA; Ch. 3, ‘Talking social institutions into being’ (20–33), which discusses two views of talk and social context and characterizes adjacency pairs; and Ch. 4, ‘Dimensions of institutional talk’ (34–50), which offers the characteristics and distinctiveness of institutional talk.

Three chapters constitute Part 2, ‘Calls for emergency service’. Ch 5, ‘Emergency calls as institutional talk’ (53–68), provides the hallmarks and overall structure of emergency calls. In Ch. 6, ‘Gatekeeping and entitlement to emergency service’ (69–86), the authors note, ‘Calling 911 is not like ordering a pizza’ (69), and examine callers’ practices in ambiguous and marginal cases. Ch. 7, ‘Emergency calls under stress’ (87–100), focuses on ‘hot calls’, i.e. emergency calls in which the caller is highly distraught.

‘Doctor-patient interaction’ is the theme of Part 3. Ch. 8, ‘Patients’ presentations of medical issues: The doctor’s problem’ (103–18), focuses on primary medical care. Ch. 9, ‘Patients’ presentations of medical issues: The patient’s problem’ (119–34), discusses patients’ discourse, i.e. the perceived legitimacy of their medical conditions. Ch. 10, ‘History taking in medicine: Questions and answers’ (135–53), presents four fundamental features of question design. Ch. 11, ‘Diagnosis and treatment: Medical authority and its limits’ (154–69), examines the interactional dynamics of the expression of medical authority.

Three chapters comprise Part 4, ‘Trials, juries, and dispute resolution’. Ch. 12, ‘Trial examinations’ (173–85), focuses on witness examinations and jury deliberations during trial. Ch. 13, ‘Jury deliberations’ (186–99), presents a case study, and Ch. 14, ‘Informal modes of dispute resolution’ (200–12), discusses phases of activity, participant roles, agency, and facilitation.

Part 5, ‘News and political communication’, consists of four chapters and a conclusion. Ch. 15, ‘News interview turn taking’ (215–26), delves into the complexity of the turn-taking system in interviews. In Ch. 16, ‘Question design in the news interview and beyond’ (22744), the authors claim that of all the institutions they present in this volume, ‘the news interview is the most nakedly exposed to the raw processes of social change’ (244). In Ch. 17, ‘Answers and evasions’ (24562), they offer a vice presidential debate as a case study in resistance and pursuit. They discuss the preference for ‘lists of three’ in public speeches in Ch. 18, ‘Interaction en masse: Audiences and speeches’ (263–79). In Ch. 19, ‘Conclusion’ (280–82), the authors claim that ‘Just as the workings of institutions are influenced by the interaction order, so too the interaction order is influenced by the institutional contexts of its implementation’ (280). A set of ‘Transcript symbols’ (283–87) follows the conclusion.

This volume is a good supplement to courses on CA and language and identity.