ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book deals with issues of culture and cultural difference, and the ways sociocultural forces may play a role in structuring interaction and interactional expectations, and vice versa. It explores human sociality from a range of disciplinary perspectives. The book suggests that one can think of humans as being endowed with an interaction engine, consisting of a raft of motivations, cooperative tendencies, multimodal communication systems, and psychological endowments. It argues that the sort of focused, sustained interaction described by Levinson, Schegloff, and Goodwin presupposes individuals’ commitment to the interaction as a collaborative activity. The book reveals startling evidence for the crucial role that language may play in acquiring ToM capacities. It shows that signers are fast establishing conventions from the new possibilities offered by the medium of communication.
