Enfield N.J., Stivers Tanya (Editors). Person Reference in Interaction: Linguistic, Cultural and Social Perspectives

Cambridge University Press, 2007. — x, 358 pages. — (Language, culture and cognition). — ISBN10: 0-511-28469-1.How do we refer to people in everyday conversation? No matter the language or culture, we must choose from a range of options: full name (‘Robert Smith’), reduced name (‘Bob’), description (‘tall guy’), kin term (‘my son’), epithet (‘birthday boy’) and so on. Our choices reflect how we know that person in context, and allow us to take a particular perspective on them. This book brings together a team of leading linguists, sociologists and anthropologists to show that there is more to person reference than meets the eye. Drawing on video-recorded, everyday interactions in nine languages, it examines the fascinating ways in which we exploit person reference for social and cultural purposes, and reveals the underlying principles of person reference across cultures from the Americas to Asia to the South Pacific. Combining rich ethnographic detail with cross-linguistic generalizations, it will be welcomed by anyone interested in the relationship between language and culture.Person reference in interaction
[b]Person reference as a system
Two preferences in the organization of reference to persons in conversation and their interaction
Optimizing person reference – perspectives from usage on Rossel Island
Alternative recognitionals in person reference
Meanings of the unmarked: how ‘default’ person reference does more than just refer
[b]The person reference system in operation
Conveying who you are: the presentation of self, strictly speaking
Person reference in Yucatec Maya conversation
Principles of person reference in Tzeltal conversation
The interactional meanings of quasi-pronouns in Korean conversation
Person reference in Tzotzil gossip: referring dupliciter
[b]The person reference as a system in trouble
Intersubjectivity and progressivity in person (and place) reference
Repairing person reference in a small Caribbean community
Reference and ‘référence dangereuse’ to persons in Kilivila: an overview and a case study