In this interdisciplinary study, Professor Clyne examines the impact of cultural values on discourse. Through an exploration of the role of verbal communication patterns in successful and unsuccessful communication, he sets out to integrate and develop a framework for linguistics of inter-cultural communication.

1. Introducing the field; 2. Setting up the project; 3. Speech acts in inter-cultural discourse; 4. Variation in communication patterns and inter-cultural communication breakdown in oral discourse; 5. Written communication; 6. Towards a linguistics of inter-cultural communication; 7. Some theoretical and practical implications.