Time in Embodied Interaction: Synchronicity and sequentiality of multimodal resources(293 Pragmatics & Beyond New Series)

This is the first book dedicated to the study of the complexities that arise in embodied interaction from the multiplicity of time-scales on which its component processes unfold. It shows in microscopic detail how people synchronize and sequence modal resources such as talk, gaze, gesture, and object-manipulation to accomplish social actions. The studies show that each of these resources has its own temporal trajectory, affordances and restrictions, which enable and constrain the fine-grained work of bodily self-organization and interaction with others. Focusing on extended interactional time scales, some of the contributors investigate ways in which larger interactional episodes and relationships between actions are brought about and how actions build on shared interactional histories. The book makes a strong case for the use of video in the study of social interaction. It proposes an enlarged vision of Conversation Analysis that puts the body and its interactive temporalities center stage.

Review :
Time in Embodied Action recognizes that time is fundamental to organized activity. This move illuminates CA, throws new light on bodily coordination and, importantly, treats modalities as inseparable from timing. Its achievement attests, above all, to the value of methodological reduction in model building (e.g. of Embodied Interaction). Each chapter of this fascinating collection shows how we delicately coordinate and make sense of each others' talk as it is embedded in physical movements, postures, and the material environment. This collection of papers moves our field forward one giant step towards comprehending the rich role of the body in the orderliness of human encounters. The volume is consistently well-written and beautifully presented, with a large number of screenshots in colour in every chapter. The introductory chapter by the editors [...] presents a very clear case for the need for the analytic focus it proposes and helpfully situates the chapters against the background of existing research. All the relevant points from across the volume are accounted for and presented within a broader discussion of the literature and the field. This helps the reader fill in the gaps while reading the individual chapters. This volume is a testament to the breadth and depth of the two editors’ foundational work on the study of embodied interaction and will undoubtedly provide a valuable reference for researchers who are interested in the fields of CA and multimodal discourse studies. A rich and insightful collection of studies that explore the interdependencies of bodily action and talk and powerfully demonstrate how ‘multimodal’ interaction enables the collaborative production of a broad range of everyday activities.