ABSTRACT
Service encounters are defined as interactions in which some kind of commodity, be it goods, information, or both, is exchanged between a service provider and a service seeker. In this chapter, I provide a selective account of research on service encounters in monolingual, cross-cultural, and intercultural settings. I review the literature with regard to transactional and non-transactional talk, shifts of alignment, and face-to-face and e-service encounters. Finally, I offer an overview of theoretical and methodological frameworks used to analyze joint action during the negotiation of service, followed by directions of future research.
