Outlines Peirce's philosophy of rhetoric by examining his philosophy of signs and sketching his specific program for rhetoric as a general art for "rendering signs effective." Suggests that Peirce's work is part of a fully elaborated system of inquiry and signification. (JMF)

Asserts that the distinguishing focus of the communication discipline is symbolic activity. Suggests that wide recognition of this focus, its scope and coherence would help to resolve important discipline-related controversies. (MS)

Examines Jimmy Carter's addresses to the American people focusing on the symbolic form of his language, the conceptions of the audience, and the ethical dimensions of his words. (MH)

Defines gastronomic reference, or mention of what public figures eat, as synecdoche. Illustrates how use of this rhetorical device contributed to public figures and public images in the 1980 presidential campaign. Argues that interest in gastronomic reference leads to a broader concern for how synecdoche functions in public discourse. (PD)

Examines the public discourse surrounding political corruption by arguing that the ritualistic deposition of corrupters is based in a sociolinguistic process of assigning meanings to acts, a dialectical process of contrapositioning competing voices, and a ceremonial process of acting out the drama of purgation before the affected institutions…

Describes political consciousness in collectivities. Symbolist thought, focused on the idea of "myth," is linked with material thought, focused on the concept of "ideology." Suggests that a description of political consciousness can be constructed from the structures of meaning exhibited by a society's vocabulary of…