N. J. Enfield
Author of How We Talk: The Inner Workings of Conversation
About the Author
N. J. Enfield is a Scientific Staff member in the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen.
Series
Works by N. J. Enfield
Natural Causes of Language: Frames, Biases, and Cultural Transmission (Conceptual Foundations of Language Science) (2014) 3 copies
Relationship Thinking: Agency, Enchrony, and Human Sociality (Foundations of Human Interaction) (2013) 3 copies
Associated Works
Areal Diffusion and Genetic Inheritance: Problems in Comparative Linguistics (2001) — Contributor — 17 copies
Catching Language: The Standing Challenge of Grammar Writing (Trends in Linguistics: Studies and Monographs) (Trends in… (2006) — Contributor — 5 copies
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Members
Reviews
How We Talk: The Inner Workings of Conversation by N. J. Enfield
A good discussion on the actual structure of how we talk. While technical, still a very good read especially if one is interested in the actual how of talking.
This was a really fascinating look into the split-second timing that we use to actually have proper conversations. I was really interested to learn that "huh" is practically a universal word! Every-day conversations are much more information-rich than I had thought.
This is a quick and interesting read about how conversation works: how humans use precision timing, an understanding of context, and corrective techniques (such as the universal word "huh") to communicate. In the process, Enfield also makes some bigger points about linguistics and how some features of language are universal and must be innate, and how we need to study conversation to truly understand language.
I made it over halfway through this non-fiction tome and then gave up because I just wasn't finding it an enjoyable reading experience. Despite being marketed as a general non-fiction book, this one definitely isn't written for the layperson. Enfield's prose is dense, academic, and likely best suited to individuals with a background in linguistics. While I was comprehending what was going on in the book, the writing wasn't interesting enough to make me feel willing to continue on. Interested in what Enfield has to say? Read the bullet points on the first page and a bit and you'll get the highlights of what he expounds on over 200 pages.… (more)
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Statistics
- Works
- 24
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 144
- Popularity
- #143,281
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 4
- ISBNs
- 59
- Languages
- 1