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Cited by 288

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 45 of the 45 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

“How are you?”: Negotiating phatic communion

Coupland, Justine, Coupland, Nikolas, Robinson, Jeffrey D.·1992·Language in Society

Abstract

Since its introduction by Malinowski in the 1920s, “phatic communion” has often been appealed to as a concept in sociolinguistics, semantics, stylistics, and communication, typically taken to designate a conventionalized and desemanticized discourse mode or “type.” But a negotiation perspective, following the conversation analysis tradition of research on greetings and troubles telling, fits the discursive realities better. Phaticity is a multidimensional potential for talk in many social settings, where speakers' relational goals supercede their commitment to factuality and instrumentality. We then analyze phatic processes in elderly people's responses to a scripted how are you?opening in interviews about their medical experiences. Discourse analyses of phatic communion can raise important issues for gerontological and medical research. (Phatic communion, small talk, greetings, elderly talk, medical talk, preference structure)

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Metadata

Authors
Coupland, J., Coupland, N., & Robinson, J. D.
Venue
Language in Society
Published
1992-06
Volume
21
Issue
2
Pages
207-230
ISSN
  • 0047-4045 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-8013
OpenAlex
W2116882756
Cited by
288
References
45
FWCI
22.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: “How are you?”: Negotiating phatic communion. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1017/s0047404500015268
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Coupland, J., Coupland, N., & Robinson, J. D. (1992). “How are you?”: Negotiating phatic communion. Language in Society. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0047404500015268

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