An analysis of subject placement in Italian argues that placement is not determined entirely by case, but also partly by interpretational considerations. The crucial step in the argument is that there are independent well-formedness conditions on discourse structures and that the apparent interpretational effects on preposed subjects of…

A study examined pragmatic routine and indirection as regularly-used strategies for accomplishing linguistic action that, while conventional, can pose problems for non-native speakers. Two kinds of conventionalities are distinguished: conventionality of means (kinds of semantic structure that have acquired a standard illocutionary force, such as,…

The role of cohesion and script in note-taking for consecutive interpretation is discussed. Because note-taking is closely associated with comprehension and memory, the discussion looks first at the function of previously stored knowledge, both linguistically and culturally, which is known as script, and grammatical and lexical cohesion in…

The value of markedness theory in constructing explanatory models of linguistic meaning is questioned, particularly the claim that a single relationship (marked vs. unmarked) accounts for all differences in asymmetrically paired terms. It is argued that because unmarked terms vary greatly in the distributions that identify them as unmarked,…

This study focused on four students and a professor from a mathematics education doctoral program at a research university. Participant observation, informal interviews, and document collection were used to collect data on students' discourse competency development. Two overarching categories emerged during data analysis: (1) what students had to…

The methods of resistance and acceptance used by five female high school principals in negotiating within the predominantly male principalship culture are examined in this paper. Data were derived from analysis of the women's discourse. The paper examines cultural assumptions of feminine and masculine and critiques the positivist approaches to…

This paper presents results of three experiments that examined Japanese English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) learners' perception and production of to whom and how politely one should speak and what expressions are appropriate for whom in American English. Ratings were made on pictures of various types of people (teacher, professor, policeman,…

Although the topic of homelessness receives a great deal of attention in journalism and throughout popular culture, the discourse of homelessness remains largely unexamined and unquestioned. This discourse creates stereotypes and perpetuates homelessness by portraying it as an inevitability rather than a contingency. Rhetoric and composition…

The narrative of personal experience is considered in this paper as a canonical discourse genre from which various forms of expository patterns can be derived in a move towards decontextualized academic discourse. More specifically, the paper analyzes the multi-draft transition from a narrative of personal experience to a classification. The…

Reaching a consensus with regard to fundamental issues involving pluralistic epistemological ideologies entails discourse and argumentation as one attempts to find a fit among his or her beliefs, other individuals' beliefs, and the particular points under consideration. Thus it may be easy to accept the notion of not reaching consensus about…

This study analyzes the discourse structures of one text type in Central Bontoc, one of eight minority Philippine languages. The text explains the Innana rituals, a complex of six rituals held annually in Bontoc villages shortly after the planting of the rice crop. The rituals are considered extremely important because they are believed to help…

Arguing that all language is communication, but very little communication is language, this paper explores questions of method and evidence in the human science practice of communicology. The first part of the paper analyzes the dialectical question of methodology in which method as procedure is implicated with thought (logos) as judgment per se,…

A study examined the nature of interactions that occurred among the participants of a two-year collaborative writing project with a particular focus on the manner in which they "positioned" one another. Subjects were three students (who were all in the sixth grade at the start of the study and in eighth grade at the end) who had…

An analysis of the use of the English particle "also" in discourse is presented. First, previous analyses of "also" and of related particles "even, only" are outlined and critiqued. It is argued that these analyses draw inadequate conclusions about the particles' usage patterns and meaning. A formulation of the…

The status of text/discourse research in South Africa is analyzed. The discussion begins with some background information on the nature of discourse research, and proceeds to an overview of the whole field of discourse research in that country and then a look at research on Afrikaans discourse. Both general trends and specific areas of research…