Small talk

This article is about the type of discourse. For other uses, see Small talk (disambiguation).
"Chit chat" redirects here. For the musician, see Chit Chat Von Loopin Stab.
Simon Glücklich, Paar im Gespräch (Couple in Conversation), c. 1885

Small talk is an informal type of discourse that does not cover any functional topics of conversation or any transactions that need to be addressed.[1] In essence, it is polite and standard conversation about unimportant things.[2]

The phenomenon of small talk was initially studied in 1923[3] by Bronisław Malinowski in his essay "The Problem of Meaning in Primitive Languages",[4] who coined the term "phatic communication" to describe it.[5] The ability to conduct small talk is a social skill.

  1. ^ "dummies - Learning Made Easy". www.dummies.com. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  2. ^ "small-talk noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com". www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  3. ^ Nield, David (7 July 2016). "Here's The Science Behind Why Small Talk Is So Awkward – And So Essential". ScienceAlert. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  4. ^ "The Problem of Meaning in Primitive Languages". The Problem of Meaning in Primitive Languages. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  5. ^ Malinowski, B. (1923) "The problem of meaning in primitive languages", in: Ogden, C. & Richards, I., The Meaning of Meaning, Routledge, London