‘Money Talks’: Communicative and Symbolic Functions of Cash Money

Cash is one of the most widespread and enduring symbolic resources for the accomplishment of social action. Yet the sociology of money has never paid much attention to cash, let alone practical uses of cash in actual transactions. The present article analyses this topic: how people project and recognise the actions, plans and understandings of market actors using cash. Communicative functions of cash are realised, it is shown, in and through the way it is held, moved, positioned and indexed. The flexibility of cash, compared with other monetary media, is demonstrated and explored. With respect to making payments, paying for others and reimbursing people, activities are described which can only be accomplished with cash, which cannot be done with bankcards or transfers. The article at least suggests why cash might endure in a digital age.