Creating social orientation through language: A socio-cognitive theory of situated social meaning is a monograph in which Andreas Langlotz proposes a new sociocognitive theory of sense-making to analyze the construction of situated social meaning. The author attempts to integrate the ‘cognitive, social-normative, social-interactional, and linguistic’ components in his discussion (343). After a brief introduction, the book is divided into three parts, which theorize and demonstrate how complex situated conceptualizations are created to guide and support social interaction.

Part 1 lays the groundwork theoretically and analytically both for the development of his sociocognitive model of sense-making and for its application to the data sets: online-forum discussions and front-desk tourist-information transactions. In these chapters, the author defines social meaning as the process of ‘social conceptualization’ in which concepts of self and other are defined (30). He then exemplifies its dimensions of duration, familiarity, and hierarchy with extracts from the data sets. He also discusses the construction of social meaning from the linguistic perspective, focusing on achieving both social and relational goals. Finally, he proposes a blueprint for a tripartite sociocognitive model that integrates the social tasks, cognitive processing, and linguistic tools to bridge the gap between social and cognitive views of sense-making.

Part 2 is the book's theoretical heart in which the author refines his model of sense-making from the sociocognitive perspective. Langlotz modifies the cognitive process of conceptualization as an embodied, action-based, and dynamic process modulated by cognitive tools, especially by language that constitutes scaffoldings in the establishment, maintenance, and organization of sociocognitive sense-making systems. He redefines social meaning as the process of ‘situated conceptualizations’ of self and other (190). He claims that the participants’ relational and transactional meaning can be constructed with linguistic cues conforming to social norms. He then theorizes and exemplifies his model of creative social positioning in social, cognitive, and linguistic dimensions that view the creative and situated conceptualization as an interactive process in which the participants ‘signal, coordinate, and align’ their situated conceptualizations of the dynamic social practice (206).

Part 3 is an analytical part discussing the use of linguistic humour as a powerful strategy for creative social positioning. He clarifies that in view of its dynamic, cognitive, and social interactional characteristics, linguistic humour touches off creative and situated conceptualizations that depart from the norm, thus influencing the social balance in communication. He then illustrates his sociocognitive model of creative social positioning with examples selected from the two data sets that show that linguistic humour provides a powerful tool for participants in negotiating their social roles and positions.

Given its rich content and insightful ideas, this book is valuable for students and researchers in the areas of cognitive linguistics, sociolinguistics, business communication, computer-mediated communication, and verbal humour.