The uncritical acceptance of Plato's treatment of sophistic doctrines (specifically in Plato's dialogue the "Gorgias") in the university has resulted in an impoverished contemporary view of sophistic rhetoric. Since Socrates' foundational epistemology allows for the knowledge of immutable truth and Gorgias' relativistic epistemology does…

Argues that, by returning to the rhetorics of killing and love, the Rogerian rhetoric of love represents a rhetoric of collective repression because it precludes the social, the principle of which is a dialectic of division and unity. Contrasts the Burkean and Rogerian views on the subject. (JD)

Considers the state of the avant-garde film movement. Contends that for those who are convinced of the potential importance of the broadest articulation of cinema, it is necessary to demonstrate the excitement and value of using avant-garde films in a wide range of academic contexts and as one of academic film activity's essential components. (MS)

Describes some of the factors that influence critical judgments regardless of operative theoretical stance. Identifies several factors which may contribute to effective performance criticism. (MS)

This article examines the interpretive process of social representations of bilingualism by means of discourse and conversational analysis. Representations are to be understood as an interpretive set of assumptions conveyed by discourse, creating recurrent and habitual systems of dispositions and expectations. The article shows how discourse is…

Reviews what rhetorical theorists and critics typically mean when they discuss rhetoric as an event. Explains Michel Foucault's philosophy of incorporeal materialism. Illustrates the contrast between Foucault's conception of event and that of rhetoricians with reference to a representative rhetorical event. (MS)

Examines Shakespeare's use of thou forms to individual ghosts, witches, and spirits. The proposition is advanced that there is a role-governed rule in the use of this pronoun to individual supernatural beings. (31 references) (GLR)

Explores the theme of topicality, focusing on two books that contribute to the understanding of possessive construction and grammar.(Author/VWL)

Orientations to the extremity of extreme case formulations--expressions using extreme terms such as "all,""none,""most,""every,""least" and so on--are initially shown in how they are sometimes qualified or softened. Further examination shows how ECFs can work as devices for doing "nonliteral," in the sense of being not accountably accurate…

Focuses on the discourse of linguistic theorizing, particularly the ways in which basic assumptions about language are formulated and discussed. Shows that the very object of linguistic investigation is a social, discursive construction and that there is a profound kinship of the language of enquiry with enquiry itself. (Author/VWL)

This interview with one of the founders of conversation analysis focuses on issues regarding the use of conversation analysis to study nonnative discourse. (Author/VWL)

Using feminist and postmodern theories, argues that transparent or "accessible" language is not innocent, but is part of a discourse of power. Reflects on an experimental approach to writing about research that results in a multiply coded, multivoiced text that speaks to multiple audiences. (SK)

Reported speech, wherein one quotes or paraphrases the speech of another, has been studied extensively as a set of linguistic and discourse practices. Researchers agree that reported speech is pervasive, found across languages, and used in diverse contexts. However, to date, there have been no studies of the use of reported speech among…

Students were audio taped while working in teams on a WebQuest. Although gender-segregated, each team included both fifth- and sixth-graders. Interactions from two tasks were analyzed according to categories (exploratory, cumulative, disputational, tutorial) defined by the Spoken Language and New Technology (SLANT) project (e.g., Wegerif &…

We investigated barriers to and facilitators of effective teacher-child interactions in voluntary pre-kindergarten programs in child care settings. An effective teacher-child interaction enables both teachers and children to actively engage in solving the problems they confront in their daily lives. The effective teacher-child interaction relies…