Describes the clanger phenomenon (disruption or redirection of conversation caused by an interactionally aggressive utterance), and reexamines and more closely defines it in terms of foreign language learners' needs and language use. (CB)

Discusses the fundamental problems within speech act theory, focusing on the extent that these problems undermine attempts to apply speech act theory in the field of language pedagogy. (96 references) (Author/OD)

Examines narrative telling by children, and the transition in development from the capability of talking in the "here and now" to the capability of telling about the "there and then." Seemingly, very young children can produce narratives in an unscaffolded context to adults unfamiliar with these experiences. (23 references) (GLR)

Used story grammar to analyze pretend play productions of 46 children of 4-8 years. Results showed structural parallels between pretend play and stories for 76 percent of subjects. Older subjects' play was episodic and younger subjects' was preepisodic. (RJC)

Examines the differences in perspective and training of nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and effects of these on their interactive strategies with patients. Shows how the macro issue of differences in occupational perspective can be incorporated into micro studies of the form and content of talk in social interactions. (SR)

Describes how speech acts in the beginning of many telephone conversations signal and resolve problems. Examines data from telephone conversations using "call-waiting" to show how ambiguity may provide resources for problem solving. (MM)

Presents an analysis of the structure of a German conversation, detailing the complexity of culturally and situationally appropriate structure and meaning in casual conversational discourse. The pedagogical implications suggested through first-year classroom activities are explored. (23 references) (Author/CB)

Describes a recursive transition network model that analyzes and represents a story as a causal network of categorized clauses and labeled relations. Reports on two experiments using procedural criteria to identify inferences and the assumptions that inferences operate over distances in the text and are transitive, resulting in a network…

Traces the evolution of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and assesses the effectiveness of the rhetoric of terrorism as a strategy. Applies concepts derived from protest rhetoric of the 1960s to the Palestine movement, noting that current "terrorist" rhetoric is similar to the New Left's confrontational strategies. (MM)

Suggests that distinguishing between a second-order reflective mentality and a first-order factive mentality is central to the perception of voice. Shows that the particular language interests of compositionists can lead to new understandings about grammar and the relationship between language form and language use. (MG)

Summarizes a study comparing sets of conversations between native and nonnative speakers (NS/NNS) of English. While the results question assumptions about the absolute utility of NS/NNS conversation for second language acquisition, the results call more attention to discourse that has the characteristics exhibited by certain types of task-related…

Describes a model that allows children to control the complexity of the speech they hear within conversations on a moment-to-moment basis. Experimental and observational data clearly delineate the reciprocal nature of how speakers "fine-tune" their speech to listeners. The effects of child-directed speech on language development are discussed.…

Investigates how institutions argue about the idea of public good. Studies how institutions rely on the Contingent Valuation Method (to determine the worth of despoiled environmental resources) to argue that critical-public argumentation theory benefits from critique that reveals how institutional arguments structurally foreclose the ability of…

Discusses replication factors for communication experiments. Gives research findings regarding the treatment of sampled replications as fixed effects. Considers objections to treating replications as random. Suggests the empowerment of studies through modest increases in the number of replications. (HB)

Documents and criticizes the idealism and relativism of the materiality of discourse idea in postmodernist and post-Marxist rhetorical theories. Illustrates the critique with an extended critical analysis of Persian Gulf War news coverage, and defends materialist ideology criticism as an alternative to a critical rhetoric that has become…