Frontmatter -- General Editor's Preface -- Introduction: Conversational Routine -- PART ONE Prepatterned Speech -- The Structure and Use of Politeness Formulas -- Health to Our Mouths. Formulaic Expressions in Turkish and Greek -- On Stereotypes in Conversation, Their Meaning and Significance -- "Poison to Your Soul" Thanks and Apologies Contrastively Viewed -- Gambits: Conversational Strategy Signals -- The Compliment Formula -- The Semantics of Forgotten Routines -- PART TWO Strategies and Action Patterns -- Politeness Markers in English and German -- Sense and Ritual in Classroom Discourse -- AnnouncingOn Formulating Plans -- On Apologizing -- On Saying You're Sorry -- Linguistic Routines and Politeness in Greeting and Parting -- Bibliography -- Biographical Notes -- Index of Names