This volume provides a detailed analysis of the relationships between form and function in spontaneous spoken language. The contributors analyse English, German and Spanish data to present a multilingual perspective on the complexities facing speakers in a variety of contexts. Through an examination of the language of everyday conversation, interviews, consultations, task-based dialogues, football commentaries, radio-play productions and intercultural conversations, the book demonstrates the effect of informational, discourse-external and personal factors on form and shows how speakers positi