Text junkies know "gratz G2G TTYL" means, "Congratulations. Got to go. Talk to you later." While concise, the problem, according to London editor and writer Catherine Blyth, is that "so many exchanges are conducted via electronic go-betweens that . . . it is easy to overlook the super-responsive information technology that is live-action, up-close-and-personal, snap-crackle-pop talk -- one that has been in research and development for thousands of years."
Blyth proves her point in the 15 jam-packed chapters of "The Art of Conversation: A Guided Tour of a Neglected Pleasure" (Gotham Books: 290 pp., $22.50), which deconstruct its elements from small talk and pillow talk (Hint: It's not texting "ILY") to traversing the conversational terrain of the workplace or what best to say if you're caught in a verbal war (my favorite response to the arrogant, "Do you know who I am?" "I'd rather not").
