The Handbook assumes the bilateral division of linguistic academic communication matter in both text and conversation and differentiates between the linguistics of texts (Volume 1) and the linguistics of conversation (Volume 2). The two volumes are arranged in a way that they correspond to each other in their overall composition. The intention thereby is to give prominence to the connections between written-monologic and spoken-dialogic communication - despite all dissimilarities between the two - and to faciliate the orientation of the handbook user. The main goals of the handbook are to represent recent international research as well as the historical development of research on this complex subject, to explain the basis of both textual and conversational methods of analysis, to analyze the crucial aspects of the constitution and typology of texts and conversations, as well as to present the dialogue between textual and conversational linguistics with other disciplines and specific areas of practice.