Total Speech

“[T]here is much to be grateful for in a book which so effectively sets out complex theoretical claims to a space where those of a broadly functional persuasion can work. . . . [T]here are many insights, precepts and recommendations that a . . . wide range of linguists will find stimulating, encouraging, and useful.” - Geoff Thompson, Functions of Language

“The style of Toolan’s writing is worth mentioning for its elegance and balance. The articulacy and precision of the expression match the rigor of the argumentation and make the book a joy to read. . . . Total Speech deserves a reputation as a provocative and polemical statement of a paradigm-shift in progress.” - Peter Stockwell, Language and Literature

“This is an important book—both for the development of integrationist thinking and for the manner in which it forces adherents from all the other isms that currently litter the stage of language studies to think about the nature of language and linguistic communication.” - Stuart Shanker, Metaphor and Symbol

“Toolan’s title, Total Speech, alludes to J. L. Austin’s famous dictum: ‘The total speech act in the total speech situation is the only actual phenomenon which, in the last resort, we are engaged in elucidating.’ The failure of orthodox linguistics in the present century to provide any such elucidation is Toolan’s main theme. He pursues the reasons for it with relentless rigor and analytical acumen.” - Roy Harris, TLS

“Total Speech provides an entirely original discussion of some of the most central and controversial issues in the theory and philosophy of language. This book is not just a synopsis of the integrationalist school of thought, it is a major contribution to the development of that thought and to its emergence as a major force in American and European thinking about language.” - Talbot Taylor, College of William and Mary