Focuses on people "having arguments" and "making arguments" in conversation. Considers (1) examples of ordinary arguments, (2) argument as the disagreement-relevant expansion of speech acts, and (3) felicity conditions and the interpretation of arguments. (PD)

The theory of the coordinated management of meaning (CMM) describes the structural relationship between a conversation as it appears in a verbatim transcript and as it appears in the meaning-system of the participants. The five essential features of CMM theory are: a set of four propositions about the nature of communication and human behavior, a…

Tracks bargaining interaction and the development of arguments between school administrators and teachers (on the issue of teachers' files and evaluations) through sequential sessions and caucus meetings. Examines similarities and differences in the reasoning process on subissues that are dropped, modified, or retained in the final argument. (PD)

Discusses the coercive controls imposed upon Blacks during slavery, including regimenting their lives, restricting their learning experiences, limiting their opportunities to communicate, and prescribing demeaning role behavior. Rhetorical strategies employed by Blacks included a defensive posture of accommodation and a more aggressive behavior of…

Presents an analysis of some aspects of conversational phonology by examining the general phonetic resources that are used by speakers of Tyneside (a nonstandard variety of English). This phonological analysis of the interaction of turn-completion takes into account pitch, loudness, and tempo, as well as segmental features. (TR)