We present a novel method for the critical analysis of professional scientists' communications with the public. The method blends Entman's (2007) [Framing bias: Media in the distribution of power. "Journal of Communication," 57(1), 163-173)] framing theory and van Leeuwen's (1996) [The representation of social actors. In C. R.…

The aim of this methodological paper is to expound on and demonstrate the value of conversation-analytical research in the area of (informal) teacher learning. The author discusses some methodological issues in current research on interaction in teacher learning and holds a plea for conversation-analytical research on interactional processes in…

Analysis of teacher-to-teacher talk provides researchers with useful information regarding the teaching profession and teachers' perspectives. This article provides a description of a method, with accompanying example, examining teacher-to-teacher talk by incorporating semantic modality and examining trends of its usage in a quantitative manner.…

Overlaps with one's interlocutor in the choice of words are called lexical entrainment. This article looks at accounts for these overlaps in word use. The question addressed is the extent to which the word use of the addressee, as opposed to available words from other sources, has a special impact on experts' choice of words. A laboratory…

The particular way in which songs (and especially the songs of social movements) accumulate persuasive force has been the subject of much scholarly inquiry. This paper investigates the rhetorical power of the popular musical text, "We Shall Overcome," arguing that the song endures as an almost expected rhetorical feature of any social…

Contends that the contradictory research on conversational interruptions may be traced not only to definitional inconsistencies, but to the empirically tenuous concept of "interruption." Asserts that "onset" and "resolution" are more rigorous and describable procedures. (MS)

Argues that meaning in a rhetorical work results from an interaction between discursive form and representational content linguists call "iconicity." Illustrates this approach through close analysis of passages selected from Edmund Burke's "Speech to the Electors of Bristol." Considers applications in broader contexts. (KEH)

Examines the fluctuating dialectic between object and method in three parts: (1) detailed reading of Herbert Wichelns' founding essay; (2) discussion of three influential responses to this dialectic by Ernest Wrage, Samuel Becker, and Edwin Black; and (3) analysis of Michael Leff's and Michael McGee's attempt to reconnect object and method. (KEH)

Discusses Goedel's Theorem (said to mark the loss of certainty in formal logic and the beginning of the postmodern reformulation of the nature of knowledge). Shows Goedel's proof as an eloquent model-changing text that (1) demonstrates the inability of language to represent reality in a way that guarantees unambiguous communication; and (2) uses…

This paper presents a comprehensive picture of informal problem solving (IPS) meetings where gatherings of workers meet around computer screens, at their desks, in doorways, and in halls to accomplish multiple work-related tasks. It attempts to uncover interactional details of informal meetings by providing a micro-analytic model of informal…

Argues that the 1988 Presidential Debates were debates both by definition and in the strategies employed by the candidates. Notes that these debates are rhetorical events in the larger framework of a political campaign. Suggests that criteria for "winning" should be consistent with the purpose of political debate. (MM)

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…

Expands the symbolic resources of the African Burial Ground through a dialogical reading of an essay in the same issue of this journal which offers a rhetorical examination of the controversy surrounding the African Burial Ground. Argues that, post-critique, controversies may be recuperated to recover an expanded sense of coalitional engagement,…

Studies on classroom interaction have typically focused on relationships between turn-taking patterns and some larger unit of analysis of varying length and nature. However, two questions still left unanswered are how teachers talk differently from students in general and how linguistic variation between two participants might relate to…

This study investigates cultural and communication medium effects on conversational argumentation in a decision-making context. Chinese and U.S. participants worked in pairs on two decision-making tasks via face-to-face (FtF) and instant messaging (IM). The analyses showed that Chinese participants tended to engage in potentially more complex…