This paper, part of a larger study, focuses on a single linguistic device, the "machine-gun question," which was used by three of six participants in a Thanksgiving dinner conversation. This conversational device is characteristic of a style that seems to grow out of the need to have others approve of one's wants. It is a style…

Explicates and evaluates essential features of Habermas' theory of communication and indicates ties between his concepts and the work of several speech communication scholars. The theory has important implications for argumentation scholars, contemporary rhetorical theorists, and students of human interaction processes. (JMF)

This interview with Paul Watzlawick covers both his theories of communication and questions concerning therapy, politics, and truth. (JMF)

Examines interlocutors' uncertainty, information-seeking, and liking for each other during initial interaction. Finds that (1) uncertainty decayed across interaction segments; (2) uncertainty reduction was associated with decreased use of question-asking but with increased levels of disclosure; and (3) uncertainty and social attraction were…

This paper discusses the application of a transactional philosophy to the problems of classroom communication. Four aspects of teacher/student interaction are discussed in detail: the choice between a bilateral relationship in which students are seen as unique persons and a unilateral relationship in which students are treated as objects or…

The purpose of this study was to learn something about information-transmission procedures in offices. It was hypothesized that certain kinds of information and communication activities have particular properties, and that some of these activities are best pursued in face-to-face communication situations. Natural conversations involving an…

Conversation reminds us that we are not alone, that shared language is the opportunity to try on our many masks to see how many of them we can do without. The variety of pleasures accrued from conversation--"layers of pleasure"--deepen only as they move away from the individual orbits into the circle of mutual experience. When conversation is…

The use of simulation in teaching conflict can be an effective way to promote student involvement. The role of the classroom teacher is to deal with actual student conflict while facilitating the development of communication skills which will aid in the resolustion of conflict. This paper suggests one classroom model which utilizes a combination…

In human communication research today, two fundamental issues must be addressed. The first issue concerns the need for study of communicative relationships as events that change over time. The second issue involves the nature of the data currently gathered in such research and its adequacy in providing information concerning change. In order for…

Communication researchers would like to know if the quality of a speaker's voice is a reliable indicator of an effective communicator and if voice quality can reveal information about the speaker's intelligence, leadership ability, and personality type. Experimental studies involving over 400 undergraduates at the University of Nebraska sought to…

A pilot experiment aimed at discovering sex-specific language patterns as exhibited by males and females in conversation with same-sex and other-sex partners falsified the hypothesis frequently stated in the literature that males hold the dominant role in mixed-sex verbal interaction, at least in regard to college students. Twelve dyadic…