Highly recommended, it is eminently readable for both newcomers to Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (CDST) and thought-provoking for experienced academics. Using CDST as a metatheory and Conversation Analysis as a methodology, it expands upon the claim that language is a complex adaptive system, to propose that human spoken interaction, a second underlying system, is also a complex adaptive system.
- Diane Larsen-Freeman, University of Michigan,
The groundbreaking focus of this book opens up a new analytical dimension in the study of spoken interaction, and one with immense potential for development. Its combination of close analysis and deep conceptual engagement should make it essential reading on any course in the field.
- Keith Richards, author of Language and Professional Identity,