The Concept of Action (New Departures in Anthropology) - Softcover

Enfield, N. J.; Sidnell, Jack

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521719658 ISBN 13: 9780521719650

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2017

Synopsis

When people do things with words, how do we know what they are doing? Many scholars have assumed a category of things called actions: 'requests', 'proposals', 'complaints', 'excuses'. The idea is both convenient and intuitive, but as this book argues, it is a spurious concept of action. In interaction, a person's primary task is to decide how to respond, not to label what someone just did. The labeling of actions is a meta-level process, appropriate only when we wish to draw attention to others' behaviors in order to quiz, sanction, praise, blame, or otherwise hold them to account. This book develops a new account of action grounded in certain fundamental ideas about the nature of human sociality: that social conduct is naturally interpreted as purposeful; that human behavior is shaped under a tyranny of social accountability; and that language is our central resource for social action and reaction.

About this title

Review:

'This book constitutes a brilliant and indispensable contribution to our understanding of language and agency.' Paul Kockelman, Yale University, Connecticut

Book Description:

Language is key to understanding human social action. This book questions long-held and widely accepted views of how social action works, and argues for a new theory of social action based on close observation of language in social interaction across cultures. It is ideal reading for anthropologists and linguists alike.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0521719658
• ISBN 13: 9780521719650
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 242