Description

Book Synopsis

We all had teachers who scolded us over the use of um, uh-huh, oh, like, and mm-hmm. But as linguist N. J. Enfield reveals in How We Talk, these bad words are fundamental to language.

Whether we are speaking with the clerk at the store, our boss, or our spouse, language is dependent on things as commonplace as a rising tone of voice, an apparently meaningless word, or a glance-signals so small that we hardly pay them any conscious attention. Nevertheless, they are the essence of how we speak. From the traffic signals of speech to the importance of um, How We Talk revolutionises our understanding of conversation. In the process, Enfield reveals what makes language universally-and uniquely-human.

How We Talk The Inner Workings of Conversation

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    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Fri 19 Jun 2026.

    A Hardback by NJ Enfield

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      View other formats and editions of How We Talk The Inner Workings of Conversation by NJ Enfield

      Publisher: Basic Books
      Publication Date: 11/30/2017 12:00:00 AM
      ISBN13: 9780465059942, 978-0465059942
      ISBN10: 0465059945

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      We all had teachers who scolded us over the use of um, uh-huh, oh, like, and mm-hmm. But as linguist N. J. Enfield reveals in How We Talk, these bad words are fundamental to language.

      Whether we are speaking with the clerk at the store, our boss, or our spouse, language is dependent on things as commonplace as a rising tone of voice, an apparently meaningless word, or a glance-signals so small that we hardly pay them any conscious attention. Nevertheless, they are the essence of how we speak. From the traffic signals of speech to the importance of um, How We Talk revolutionises our understanding of conversation. In the process, Enfield reveals what makes language universally-and uniquely-human.

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