Studies of interaction in speaking assessment have highlighted problems regarding the unequal distribution of interaction patterns in interviews versus paired formats (Van Lier, 1989; Young & He, 1998). These studies, however, only looked at verbal interaction features, and no attempts in these studies were made to investigate both verbal and…

Reports the development of a Verbal Systems Analysis procedure for investigating significant form in verbal communications through a process which operationalizes two of the central concepts of form in Kenneth Burke's theory of symbolic action. (MH)

Drawn from a 1978 Speech Communication Association seminar, this collection of papers and other materials explores the subject of argumentation as epistemology. The first paper reviews several critiques of traditional argumentation theories and offers directions for new theories, and the remaining eight papers offer responses to the ideas and…

After 750 combined hours of analysis, the authors discovered major verbal and nonverbal communication differences between the candidates in the three Ford/Carter debates. The research was based on an analysis of 7,378 specific nonverbal behaviors and on 955 verbal references found in the 30,852 word transcripts. The researchers found differences…

Reviews the central principles of conversational organization and characterizes conversational argument in terms of these general principles. Discusses enthymemes and why they are the substance of persuasion. (JMF)

Discusses a study designed to investigate the relationships between vocal activity level and interpersonal attraction, perceived credibility, perceived homophily or interpersonal similarity and perceived power or ability to influence. (MH)

The role of the particle "o.k." in service encounter dialogue is discussed. A service encounter is defined as a situation of interaction between a "posted" server and a second party (a customer) who invokes the server's participation as an operator of a "serving post." It is suggested that approval or acceptance is often only part of what is being…

A total of 79 college students participated in an investigation designed to clarify the function of conversational closings. Multidimensional scaling was used to derive a three-dimensional representation of the semantic meaning conveyed by 20 frequently used conversational closings. Regression analyses of the scaling solution suggested that the…

Dynamics of discussion in the classroom are analyzed based on data from 64 classrooms in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. Among the discourse problems considered are the separation of answers from questions, the relationship between the presupposition of an utterance and the speaker/hearer assumptions, and the relationship between utterance form and…

Examines a grammar of conversation using three units of analysis: talk acts (statements, questions, agreements, and disagreements); turns at talk; and topic sequences. Rules covering the use of talk acts and definitions of units of analysis provide the basis for propositions about the location of categories of talk acts. (JMF)

References to the study of behavioral organization of face-to-face interaction are arrranged in alphabetical order by author. A subject classification of works in the bibliography is appended. (EJS)

Despite its title, this is not a book on rhetoric in any narrow sense, but rather concerns its general ambience and also some of its quite specific manifestations. The 13 studies that comprise the book move chronologically from the Renaissance up to the present time. Chapter 2 shows the continuity of verbal expression during the English…

This study explored the relationship between maternal sensitivity and the development of mother-infant vocal interaction. Two characteristics of mother and infant vocalizations were assessed at six and nine months in a home feeding situation: (1) the degree of mutual responsiveness, and (2) the affective quality of vocalization. These assessments…

This study investigates the nature and stability of verbal behaviors for different contextual purposes in classrooms with varying structures, from traditional to open, utilizing the RCS interaction analysis system modified to code for contextual purpose (cognitive, procedural, social, affective, and behavioral). Eighteen observations were made in…