Asking and Telling in Conversation

Asking and Telling in Conversation is a collection of Anita Pomerantz's research focusing on the complexities of asking and telling something to another person. Pomerantz is one of the pioneers of the multidisciplinary field of Conversation Analysis, and this book brings together nine of her most influential articles-each framed with a new introduction discussing the central research question and concluding remarks explaining her current views. Combining foundational articles with contemporary frameworks and new material in a single volume, this book is an important contribution to communication studies.

Anita Pomerantz, Professor Emerita in the Department of Communication, University at Albany, is a Conversation Analyst who analyses audio and videotapes of interaction to uncover the principles relied upon and the methods used for agreeing and disagreeing, seeking information, and negotiating responsibility for blameworthy and praiseworthy deeds in interpersonal, medical, and legal contexts. She has served as Chair of the Language and Social Interaction Division of the National Communication Association and the International Communication Association. She received the Garfinkel-Sacks Award for Distinguished Scholarship from the Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis Section of the American Sociology Association in Montreal in 2017 and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Conversation Analysis in Loughborough, England in 2018.