Adrian Blackledge is Professor of Sociolinguistics at the University of Stirling, UK. He has published widely on both multilingualism and sociolinguistics. He was Birmingham Poet Laureate from 2014-2016.Angela Creese is Professor of Linguistic Ethnography at the University of Stirling, UK. She has published widely on multilingualism and ethnographic methods. Together with Adrian Blackledge she is the author of Voices of a City Market: An Ethnography (Multilingual Matters, 2019) and Interpretations – An Ethnographic Drama (Multilingual Matters, 2021).

Through this amazing and engaging feat of verbal ballet, Blackledge and Creese don’t just help readers understand the complex, multisemiotic play of social interaction — they make them feel it. This play will change the way you think about reporting research findings. It will also change the way you watch or participate in sports, or any other embodied collective undertaking.

• PrefaceAcknowledgementsCharactersSettingsText ConventionsVolleyball – An Ethnographic DramaAct IScene 1Scene 2Scene 3Act IIScene 1Scene 2Scene 3Scene 4Scene 5Act IIIScene 1Act IVScene 1Scene 2Scene 3Scene 4Scene 5