W. Barnett Pearce

Between text and context: Toward a rhetoric of contextual reconstruction

Through an exploration of possible forms of the reflexive text‐context relationship, we offer a critical perspective to understand an array of problematic situations: the unspeakable, the ineffable, the radical paradox, and the paradox of authority. Strategies of non‐participation, desecration, and contextual reconstruction are reviewed and Senator Edward Kennedys “Television Statement to the People of Massachusetts” and Abraham Lincolns “Gettysburg Address” are reassessed.

Talking to “the man”: Some communication strategies used by members of “subordinate” social groups

The perspective from which a less powerful social group views a “dominant” group—either as another culture or as a co‐culture —influences the structure and function of its strategies for communicating with the “dominant” group. Four recurring patterns of communication between groups with asymmetrical power relationships are analyzed using the theory of the coordinated management of meaning.

A model of hierarchical meanings in coherent conversation and a study of “indirect responses”

A model of meanings in coherent conversation is presented, taking the form of a hierarchy of levels of cognitive interpolations between the stream of behavior and archetypal patterns in conversations. Each level is linked to the others by sets of rules which govern and guide cognitive movement between them. Four sets of rules are identified: rules of information processing which associate utterances and propositions; rules of communication which constitute the relationship between propositions and speech acts; rules of sociation which constitute the relationship between speech acts and episodes; and rules of symbolic interpretation which regulate sequences of episodes. A study of indirect responses in conversation is also reported. The study supports the hierarchical structure of the model and locates the understanding of rules governing the use of indirect responses in a more extensive conceptual framework than was previously available.

A cross‐cultural comparison of the implications of self‐disclosure on conversational logics∗

Theorists dealing with the relationship between communication and culture confront the dilemma of trying to describe communication as culture‐laden without making statements which are themselves not so culture‐laden as to be mere ethnocentric expressions. One way of coping with the dilemma is to use “transcultural concepts”; as defined by Kang and Pearce. “Logical force,”; a concept derived from the theory of “the coordinated management of meaning,”; is proposed as a useful transcultural concept and tested in a cross‐cultural comparison. High and low levels of self‐disclosure were manipulated in a simulated conversation in which North American and Chinese subjects were asked to role‐play and subsequently describe. Obtained differences between conditions and between cultures in the logical force described as impinging on their response to the self‐disclosing messages were understood as descriptions of the differences between the cultures. The configuration of linkages within the logical force measures are ...

The logic of the coordinated management of meaning: A rules‐based approach to the first course in interpersonal communication

This article presents a new approach to the basic course in interpersonal communication. The approach is based on the need to teach principles that both cut beneath cultural diversity and function ...

The new Christian right and the humanist response: Reciprocated diatribe

This is a case study of the interaction in the debate between the New Christian Right and its opponents. Because these groups argue from incompatible premises, they are unable to understand one anothers position within a common moral framework. The result has been a reciprocated diatribe in which invective is typical. The case illustrates a common problem in contemporary communication that is characteristic of a number of ideological conflicts in which disputants beliefs are bolstered by their interpretations of the responses of the other side.

Sexists, racists, and other classes of classifiers: Form and function of “...Ist” accusations

An “. . . ist” accusation indicts an individual as a racist, sexist, or other “. . . ist” whose thoughts and/or acts discriminate on the basis of class membership. The self‐reflexively paradoxical structure of “. . . ist” accusations precludes refutation, but response is possible. Pragmatic and moral implications of alternative responses to “. . . ist” accusations are evaluated.

A contract for civility: Edward Kennedy's Lynchburg address

The occasion for Edward Kennedys Lynchburg address on “Tolerance and Truth in America” has been called “something of a mistake.” However, Kennedy used the opportunity to speak at Liberty Baptist College in 1983 to propose a “contract” for the public relationship between himself and Jerry Falwell. Virtually auditioning for a part in a new form of dialogue, Kennedy displayed for Falwell a universe of discourse in which each could be more civil toward the other without betraying his own constituencies or threatening the others supporters. Subsequent events demonstrate that the contract, although never explicitly stated, was accepted.

Teaching interpersonal communication as a humane science: A comparative analysis

Three approaches to teaching interpersonal communication—objective scientific, humanistic celebration, and humane scientific—are compared on the basis of their intellectual base (assumptions about human nature and actions) and pedagogic procedures. Their treatment of “self‐disclosure” illustrates the differences between the approaches. The humane scientific approach is advocated.

The structure of communication rules and the form of conversation: An experimental simulation

The theory of “the coordinated management of meaning” predicts that the forms of conversations are a function of the degree to which the communicators’ rules for meaning and action are similar in structure and content. A new game of simulated conversation, “Coordination,” permitted an experimental test which supported the theory and demonstrated the utility of the game as a research protocol.