ABSTRACT

Words and Minds takes a lively and accessible look at how we use language to combine our mental resources and get things done. Examining everyday language and drawing on a wide range of research, but always with a light style, Neil Mercer provides a unified account of the relationship between thought and language.
Mercer analyses real-life examples of language being used effectively, or otherwise, in many different settings, including workplaces and schools, the home, the internet and the courtroom, and offers practical insights into how we might improve our communication skills.
Words and Minds will appeal to anyone interested in language and the psychology of everyday life.

chapter 1|15 pages

Language as a tool for thinking

chapter 2|6 pages

Laying the foundations

chapter |9 pages

Conversational ground rules

chapter |3 pages

Intercultural conversations

chapter |6 pages

Frames of reference

chapter 3|4 pages

The given and the new

chapter |23 pages

Kinds of common knowledge

chapter 4|27 pages

Persuasion, control and argument

chapter |2 pages

Arguing your case

chapter 5|11 pages

Communities

chapter |5 pages

Communities of practice

chapter 6|36 pages

Development through dialogue

chapter 7|7 pages

Conclusions

chapter |3 pages

Ways of researching interthinking