This is a collection of essays about Finnish speech culture and also studies the relationships between speech and culture at the general level. Using qualitative methodology in general and ethnography in particular, the essayists examine: terms for talk, the regulation of talk, relational dialectics, face-work, intangibles, strategic communication, and argumentation.

Chapter 1 Speech Culture in Finland Chapter 2 White Lies or Relative Truth? Cultural Considerations of the Finnish Concept of Honesty and Intercultural Learning Chapter 3 Coding Personhood through Cultural Terms and Practices: Silence and Quietude as a Finnish Natural Way of Being Chapter 4 The Asiasta Puhuminen Event Chapter 5 Cultural Dialectics in Finnish Advising Relationships Chapter 6 Finnish Supportive Communication: A Qualitative Study on Middle-Aged Singles' Support Seeking Chapter 7 The Silence of the Finnish Sauna Chapter 8 The Meaning of Intangibles in International Business Relations: Latin American Perceptions of Finns as negotiators Chapter 9 The Finnish Criminal Trial as a Speech Communication Situation Chapter 10 Agreement and Disagreement in Focus: A Cultural Perspective on Televised Election Debates

Edited by Richard Wilkins and Pekka Isotalus