This article is addressed to those for whom information is the key focus for the study of language and its deployment in discourse. The message is that action figures centrally and generically, and that the absence of actions can be as decisive as their occurrence for the deployment of language and the interactional construction of discourse. (47…

Examines the use of gender-distinctive language in preschool sibling conversations, focusing on mitigation in directives and related forms used during pretend play. Findings indicate that gender-distinctive patterns of language use are sensitive to variations in situation and interaction partner. (19 references) (CK)