Introduction to the Special Issue on Aplogies in Discourse

The studies in this special issue focus not so much on apologies in public discourse, in the media, or in the world of public affairs but rather on those made in everyday social interactions, for the (usually) slight but nonetheless significant moments when someone treads on another’s toes, literally or metaphorically, and causes some (usually) minor inconvenience or harm. The frequency and significance of such moments are associated with the moral character of action, of all action, whether physical or verbal. Each of these articles is a detailed and illuminating empirical analysis of the occurrence and interactional work managed through (and thereby the function of) different formats of one of the most prevalent, and controversial, features of public, social discourse: how we (try to) make amends through apologizing for misconduct in everyday social interactions.