Language and Professional Identity: Aspects of Collaborative Interaction

This book explores the ways in which professional groups develop specific interactional procedures for conducting and representing their activities, all of which contribute to a distinctive collaborative identity. It highlights the drawbacks as well as the advantages of collaborative talk, pointing to ways of improving professional performance. Its investigation of topics such as identity, argument, narrative, and metaphor means that it should appeal to researchers outside the fields of applied linguistics and professional communication, for whom it is primarily intended.

In showing how professional groups construct shared identities, this book highlights drawbacks as well as advantages of collaborative talk and explores topics such as identity, argument, narrative and humor.

KEITH RICHARDS is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Warwick.