Seldom Ask, Never Tell : Labor and Discourse in Appalachia (Oxford Studies in Anthropological Linguistics)

Puckett takes a new look at the relationship between language, society, and economics, by examining how people talk about work in a rural Appalachian community. Through careful analysis of conversations in casual yet commercial contexts, she finds that the construction and maintenance of this discourse is essential to the community's socio-economic relationships. The volume will appeal to linguists, anthropologists, and scholars in communications and Appalachian studies.