Acknowledgements

This book emerged as part of our Australia Research Council-funded Discovery Project “Conversational Interaction in Aboriginal and Remote Australia” (DP18011515). We thank the ARC, Macquarie University, The University of Melbourne and The University of Queensland for their financial support for this research.

The recordings used as the data for this book were made in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Many people generously assisted us in making contact with participants and gathering these recordings, and we thank all those who helped us compile this great window into ordinary conversations from remote Australia, including participants whose recordings are not yet mentioned in publications such as this book, and the many residents of the Kimberley towns we visited who talked with us and helped us promote the project. In particular, we would like to thank: Ronnie Atkins, Chris, Del Le Roi Collins, Warren Dallachy, Malcolm Edwards, Kate Golson, Joyce Hudson, Jane, Nadeen Lovell, Lyn, David Prichard, Robin, Jamie Savage, Lee Scott-Virtue, and Robyn Wells. Thanks also to Keeley Palmer and her family and to Frances Kofod. Catherine Roberts and Carly Pettiona helped with transcription of some of the recordings, and Catherine completed a PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2023 based on these data, Talk about absent others in everyday Australian conversation.

Thank you also to our colleagues who provided feedback on aspects of this work along the way, especially the audiences at Macquarie University, the Australian Linguistic Society, the International Pragmatics Conference (IPrA), the International Conference on Conversation Analysis, and the 2025 AWIA Symposium. We particularly appreciate the feedback of Harry Mazeland and the anonymous reviewer of our book proposal. Thanks also to Mitchell Browne for assistance with the Praat images.

We are grateful for the patient support we have received from John Benjamins, especially the editors of this series, Sandra Thompson and Elizabeth Couper-Kuhlen, whom we thank for their careful and constructive reading of our manuscript. Isja Conen has been ever available and responsive to our questions, and an enduring presence in the publication lives of Rod and Ilana — she was the corresponding editor for our respective 2001 books! Thank you for continuing to support our work.