Analyzes W. Barnett Pearce's "Coordinated Management of Meaning" theory--finding philosophical flaws and equivocations inherent in the model proposed within the theory. Argues that by making all the terms of their hierarchy conform to the notion of "episodic" communication, Pearce reintroduces basic errors about the nature of…

Strategies are developed for understanding how language variation limits communication. Methods of measuring communication are discussed, including an intelligibility measure used in the Solomon Islands. The analysis of data gathered using communication measurement is discussed. The result of the analysis is a determination of the number of…