A reply to "Beyond Rhetorical Relativism," a 1982 article written by E. Croasmun and R. A. Cherwitz, this paper suggests that that article suffers from a poor choice and unclear usage of language, a weak line of argument, and a faulty conceptualization of the issues. The first section of the paper reviews the arguments presented by…

Traditional scholarship on social movements has emphasized external rhetoric and the role of the leader, rather than the internal dynamics of social movement organizations. This paper is an argument for the integration of experiences and meanings related to membership. Belle Edson's feminist critique of social movement studies provides a framework…

Instead of adopting or developing a theoretical or methodological approach to social movement study, researchers might benefit from gathering an understanding of a particular movement's history by narrowing the focus of the study for rhetorical analysis. Convention papers and journal articles should identify a specific stage, sub-group, person, or…

Concludes that although the new rhetoric may serve as a reminder that communication studies are more than simple effects research, the ferment produced by a highly politicized debate--if it successfully masquerades as scholarly controversy--can become intellectually self-limiting and sterile. (PD)

Discusses George Gallup's crusade to establish polling's scientific and cultural legitimacy that mythologized its history of "progress"; deflected doubts about its accuracy and technical procedures with a rhetoric of scientific of mystification; and celebrated the collective wisdom of "the people." Shows how Gallup's…

Kenneth Burke's concepts of rhetoric, dramatism, terministic screens (perceptual filters), and identification are used in this paper to justify and direct intercultural communication research. Three intercultural methodologies--cultural variable analysis, componential analysis, and ethnomethodology--are examined in the paper using these concepts.…

Recent rhetorical scholarship suggests a new focus on qualitative theories of human communication. Explores the implications of three general emphases for future inquiry: (1) rules research, (2) constructivism, and (3) constructionism. (PD)

Traditionally, the study of public address has meant the study of great speakers, focusing on individual speech texts, or the speaking careers of individual orators. So dominant was this traditional study of public address that, in its halcyon decades of the l930s, 1940s, and 1950s, it all but eliminated other approaches to rhetorical criticism.…

K. Burke's (1945) pentad identifies five contributing factors in any communication event: agent, purpose, act, scene, and agency. Using the pentad as an organizational schema, this paper summarizes problems in methods used by behavioral researchers to study the deceptive communication event. The paper argues that fragmenting the communication act…

Because written communication has nearly always been the medium for transmitting information in the business world, these essays are a step toward providing a seminal statement on the history and practice of business writing. The essays in this volume are: "Business Writing and the Spread of Literacy in Late Medieval England" (Malcolm Richardson);…

Part of a larger investigation of the rhetorical character of the presidencies of Harry Truman through Jimmy Carter, this report concentrates on the presidents' linguistic styles and their semantic choices. The first half of the report discusses the background of the study and the development of a computerized language analysis…

Based on the premise that existing research into terrorism shows great promise, this paper notes that, despite widespread recognition of terrorism's communicative dimensions, few studies have been done from within the discipline of speech communication. The paper defines the discipline of speech communication and rhetorical studies, reviews the…

Illustrates the erosion of inclusive teacher-student interaction. Uses discourse analysis to compare K-12 classroom instructional practices before and after imposition of standardized testing. Illuminates the negative transformation of five inclusionary discursive practices. Notes, in an illustrative case, an "at-risk" student's effort to express…

The eighth in a series of publications dealing with aspects of intercultural communication, this volume focuses on approaches to intercultural communication research. The 16 chapters of the volume are arranged into three sections: diverse approaches to research, quantitative approaches, and qualitative approaches. Specific chapters discuss the…

The essays in this volume enunciate the pressing need for a theoretical framework for the study of technical communication. The first part of the volume provides an overview of extensive ways to study technical communication. Subsequent chapters discuss humanistic approaches to technical communication, the history of technical communication,…