Finds that both severity of violation and recipient of explanation affect the linguistic content of elementary school-aged girls' excuses. Concludes that older girls used fewer single apologies, incorporated more repair components, and tailored their explanations to the nature of each violation. (JAD)

Analyzes the substantive and stylistic features of the "Hamnet" script (an 80-line parody of "Hamlet") as performed on Internet Relay Chat. Explicates the logistics of virtual production. Finds evidence for the democratization and globalization of culture in Hamnet productions. Suggests that Hamnet activities appeal primarily…

Discusses anxiety over the ethical implications of technical communication, including concerns that technical communication is "coercive." States that the centerpiece of essays that define technical communication as rhetoric attack the alleged objectivity of technical communication. Concludes that academics should help democratize…

Fleshes out a model of hysterical discourse, and applies it to an analysis of the charges and countercharges of "environmentalist hysteria." Gives special attention to the book that drew the earliest accusations of hysteria, Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring." (SR)

States that progressive and conservative voices in America have argued whether national or local community could assure a virtuous citizenry. Describes how Jimmy Carter invented a progressive discourse shaped by the small town myth in his 1976 presidential campaign. Examines the failure of the big city myth and the ideological paradox of the small…

Points out that the condensed, mediated arguments found in today's public debates resemble Aristotle's enthymeme. Illustrates the similarities between classical and postmodern arguments through an analysis of the rhetoric of David Duke, and discusses the implications for how scholars conceptualize argument in the public sphere. (SR)

Examines two prominent schools of critics who employ a hermeneutic strategy and who arrive at conflicting interpretations of Gorgias's overall "philosophy." Argues that in fact both schools misconstrue the nature of Gorgias's writing. Presents an alternative reading of Gorgias' style. (TB)

Investigates the social payoffs of speaking ironically. Suggests that speakers choose irony over literal language in order to be funny, to soften the edge of an insult, to show themselves to be in control of their emotions, and to avoid damaging their relationship with the addressee. (SR)

Describes a news story as a text prototype dominated either by telegraphic or by narratological tendencies in content selection and organization. Shows how the former strategy leads to feature accumulation typical of American English news writing, and how the latter, characteristic of German and Polish news styles, shows affinities with everyday…

Investigates place references in synchronous computer-mediated conversation, revealing two uses of place deixis: one for the user's physical location and one for "location" in the virtual space of the computer network. (SR)

Argues that Spike Lee, in his film "Do the Right Thing," used a form similar to classical Greek drama in order to embed inconsistent themes into the film. Suggest implications in relation to the functions served by narrative rhetoric and a polysemic critical practice. (SR)

Argues that the contention that media texts have no meaning is problematic. Repositions the concept of "text" within the context of general semiotic theory. Uses an approach culled from literary, film, and communication perspectives to reanalyze canonical research on television texts. Proposes a new research agenda. (PRA)

Studies the Yagua speakers' use of a second position morpheme for indicating that information should be integrated as part of the main event line. Concludes that the information attached to this morpheme is mildly or strongly discontinuous with preceding information or expectations. (HB)

Analyzes the distribution of 33 linguistic markers of complexity across 23 spoken and written registers of English. Identifies a five-dimensional model and uses it to describe the complexity characteristics of spoken and written registers. Finds that, whereas written registers exhibit profiles differing widely in extent and kind of complexity,…

The ideology of community college leadership dominant in the professional literature is examined using discourse analysis techniques. It is concluded that strong, often militaristic description perpetuates an image of leadership that is exclusionary, narrow, and inappropriate for community colleges, which serve diverse constituencies. Development…