ABSTRACT
This chapter examines collaborative phatic talk in terms of politeness, phatic action and risk taking. A distinction is made between the conventionality and routine of social talk and the personal dimension to relational engagement which is expressed in terms of camaraderie, rapport and bonding as interlocutors determine their level of interest, involvement and commitment. This distinction is examined in terms of supportive, exploratory, confirmatory and consolidatory practices. Finally, to obtain the perspective of foreign-language foreign language (FL) interactants themselves, I present the findings from 74 interviewees who were asked to reflect on importance of phatic communion and the relationship between small talk and gossip in FL communication.
