Chinese discourse and interaction is a collection of fifteen contributions that brings together current research by leading international scholars in the field of discourse analysis. After a full-scale introduction, the volume is divided into two parts according to the major methodological approaches adopted in the data analysis.

Part I (Chs. 2–5), “Conversation analytic and linguistic approaches to Chinese discourse”, focuses on the microlinguistic analysis of discourse features by investigating the constraints of grammatical properties of the Chinese language in discourse, and the ways in which the constraints manifest themselves in situated interactions. Tomoko Endo examines the sentential positions and functions of the Chinese expression wo jue de ‘I think’ and its relation to the epistemic stance that speakers take in conversation. Wei Zhang, Angela Chan, & Agnes Weiyun He focus on studies of the Chinese-specific analysis of repair and self-repair in conversations. Through a case study of the interactional application of the English loanword then in Singaporean Chinese, Cher Leng Lee addresses the ways in which loan words are used in Chinese interaction.

Part II (Chs. 6–14), “Discourse analytic and social approaches to Chinese discourse”, comprises nine studies of discourse and interaction in various domains and professions. Chs. 6–9 focus on theoretical and methodological issues in studying key concepts for the study of Chinese interaction, such as power, face, and communication style. Yueguo Gu introduces the ways in which power relations can be modeled in Chinese situated interactions. Employing two sources of data, recordings of naturally occurring business transactions and ethnographic interviews, Wei-Lin Melody Chang & Michael Haugh illustrate explicitly how face is perceived as a concept and how it is deployed by interactants in business interactions. Yuling Pan & Anna Yukyee Chan examine Chinese discourse in the setting of survey interviews conducted in the United States with monolingual Chinese speakers. Chs. 10–12 discuss discourse and interaction in various professional settings, including business, counseling, and online public discourse. Hao Sun traces the change in discursive practices within the business community in Shanghai, China across two time spans, and finds that discursive practice is fluid and reflective of social change. Olga Zayts, Virginia Wake Yelei, & Stephanie Schnur present an analysis of discourse in prenatal genetic counseling, whereas Winnie Cheng investigates discourse and interaction in online public discourse. Chs. 13–14 explore discourse and interaction in historical contexts. Dániel Z. Kádár examines the relationship between group identity formation and the discourse of inhabitants of Shaoxing, a southern Chinese community. Xinren Chen analyzes self-referring deictic forms in the Chinese novel A dream of red mansions. The volume concludes with an epilogue by Kenneth Kong, reflecting critically on the arguments the authors present in their chapters, which is then followed by a discussion of directions for future research.

With diverse research methods, analytic frameworks, and data sources, this edited volume has successfully filled a knowledge gap in Chinese discourse studies. The book should be of interest to graduate students, advanced undergraduates, and scholars engaged in Chinese discourse analysis, intercultural pragmatics and intercultural studies.