Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of interactional sociolinguistics as an approach to the analysis of workplace communication. In describing methods and key theoretical concepts, including contextualization cues, conversational inference, and frame, the chapter also introduces foundational studies, and summarizes how the approach contributes to our understanding of workplace discourse. Topics addressed include how gender and culture affect workplace interaction and perceptions of individuals’ competence; how identities and relationships are linguistically constructed; how routine and high-stakes situations are organized in interaction; and how everyday workplace activities are accomplished, ranging from issuing directives, to being sociable, to making decisions.