Presupposition, a linguistic element can be employed in utterances. When this is done it enhances the comprehension of what is being communicated. This aspect of language that is implicit assumption of an utterance is a strategy that may be used to express a speaker's socio-political dominance. The truth of what is said is taken for granted and…

Although educational researchers predominately study complex, multidimensional problems, research findings and proposed arguments can sometimes be characterized as definite, simplified, and prone to particular types of answers or expected outcomes. The authors seek to problematize these definite and simplified notions of answers by looking at some…

Demonstrates a recent trend in rhetorical criticism which associates subjectivity with location. Develops the concept of "ethos" as a "site" and shows how recent feminist writers locate ethos at the margins of discourse. Suggests places where responsible writers negotiate and contract ethos. (HB)

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)

Responds to the essays and critiques in this special issue. Evaluates the arguments by Michael Leff and Michael McGee and suggests that choosing between them is not inevitable. Analyzes Dilip Gaonkar's appraisal of McGee and incorporates the observations of J. Robert Cox and Celeste Condit when discussing Leff's position. (KEH)

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)

Reviews recent depictions of metadiscourse and challenges the most prominent approach by blurring the distinction between primary and secondary discourse. Investigates metadiscourse as enacted in Western and Chinese rhetorical contexts. Argues that metadiscourse be located in local, rhetorical contexts. (HB)

Discusses two kinds of rhetorical audiences: universal, and particular. Considers the approach a speaker takes regarding the audience type, which is usually a mixture. Discusses how a speaker brings the audience to the desired adherence despite the difference of audience type. (SC)

The dialectic of pitting reality against the perception of reality has been a proclivity of philosophers since the days of Plato and Greek civilization. Most philosophers today regard the availability of a pure reality to be impossible. The world is as it appears to be: thinkers have no access to perfect truth. Accordingly, the matter of…

Argues that interpretation is not only an essential mode for understanding the construction of rhetorical texts, but that interpretation is itself an important source of invention and, therefore, of social critique in postmodern culture. (KEH)

Discusses the rhetorical method of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Argues that it must be extended in some fundamental ways if educators want to apply his model of rhetoric. Suggests that a truly pragmatic rhetoric must bear some similarity to the method of Wittgenstein's later philosophy. (MG)

Develops a rhetorical account of how experts move fluidly among disciplinary criteria and use paradigms more as strategies than constraints. Analyzes how E. O. Wilson projects his sociobiology into several discourse frames, each presuming a different audience, purpose, and persona for himself as expert. Suggests that Wilson eludes disciplinary…

Explains the rhetorical implications of actions and states in various models of procedural discourse and in specific writer strategies. Considers more flexible alternatives to the "streamlined-step" model. States that one goal of technical communicators may be to help ensure that systems are designed, developed, implemented, and supported with…

Argues that fragmentation of American culture has resulted in communication role reversal, making interpretation the primary task of speakers and writers and text construction the primary task of audiences. Suggests audiences must be provided with dense, truncated fragments which cue them to produce a finished discourse in their minds. (KEH)

Takes issue with J. Habermas's partiality for the dialectical (or rational-critical) over the rhetorical sphere. Shows that in two cases (in addition to the 18th-century "philosophes") such a sphere was conducive to circularity, insularity, and exclusion. Focuses on the discourse of the proponents of communicative ethics and the…