Conversation analysis
Conversation analysis (commonly abbreviated as CA) is the study of talk in social interaction. CA tries to describe the structure and patterns of interaction, whether this is institutional (in the school, doctor's surgery, courts or elsewhere) or casual conversation.
The term "conversation" to label this disciplinary movement is misleading if read in a colloquial sense, as many have.
Other websites
An Introduction to Conversation Analysis (by Discourse and Rhetoric Group, Loughborough University)
Online bibliography of pre-1990 CA literature
Online bibliography of post-1989 CA literature
Online clearinghouse for the CA community
Science
Human communication