In this book two of the leading figures in argumentation theory present a view of argumentation as a means of resolving differences of opinion by testing the acceptability of the disputed positions. Their model of a 'critical discussion' serves as a theoretical tool for analysing, evaluating and producing argumentative discourse. They develop a method for the reconstruction of argumentative discourse that takes into account all aspects that are relevant to a critical assessment. They also propose a practical code of behaviour for discussants who want to resolve their differences in a reasonable way. This is a major contribution to the study of argumentation and will be of particular value to professionals and graduate students in speech communication, informal logic, rhetoric, critical thinking, linguistics, and philosophy.

http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam041/2003046181.pdf

A Systematic Theory of Argumentation: The pragma-dialectical approach

Community psychologists and other social scientists have underscored the limitations of traditional scientific paradigms for research with diverse cultural groups. For instance, Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) discussion of the “social address” model and Howard and Scott’s (1981) discussion of “deficiency formulations“each criticize the comparative frameworks, which dominate the literature on ethnic minorities in the United States. They argue that comparative frameworks simply describe between-group differences on particular outcome variables of interest, providing little insight into the range of social and psychological processes that occur within a cultural group. Other scholars have questioned the validity of studies utilizing constructs and measures developed in one cultural group to understand phenomenon in another (Boykin, 1979). Cultural norms, values, and experiences influence the relevance of a set of constructs to respondents, the range of behaviors and ideas that are valid indicators of the constructs, and how respondents interpret items employed to assess them (Hui & Triandis, 1989; Marsella & Kameoka, 1989). Inattention to these sorts of issues can undermine the accuracy of scientific knowledge about both intragroup processes and between-group similarities and differences.

Using focus groups to facilitate culturally anchored research

One of the major challenges of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is to make explicit the relations between discourse and knowledge. Both discourse and knowledge are very complex phenomena studied in virtually all disciplines of the humanities and social sciences. Thus, we may expect that also a theory of their relationships has philosophical, linguistic, psychological, sociological and anthropological dimensions.

The Discourse-Knowledge Interface

Despite the general societal ban on use of forms of nigger, a variant finds continued acceptance among some members of the African American community for intragroup self-reference. The present research employs quantitative and qualitative analysis of data from narratives by African American comedians to show that a variant of nigger that developed in the early African American community persists in the lexicon of African American English because it conveys a social meaning that is foundational in the identity of many African Americans. Use of this form allows a speaker to construct an identity representing awareness of the history of African Americans and practical knowledge of the nature and implications of the diaspora experience. The form has been productive in its capacity to convey a range of attitudinal stances related to its basic meaning, including solidarity, censure, and a proactive stance that seeks to bring about positive change.

The N Word Its History and Use in the African American Community

Mutual knowledge, background knowledge and shared beliefs: Their roles in establishing common ground

The World in a Grain of Sand: Studies in Conversational Order@@@Studies in Discourse Analysis.@@@Conversational Organization: Interaction Between Speakers and Hearers.@@@Discourse Strategies: Studies in International Sociolinguistics.@@@Communicative Acts and Shared Knowledge in Natural Discourse.

Charles Goodwin

Papers

The World in a Grain of Sand: Studies in Conversational Order@@@Studies in Discourse Analysis.@@@Conversational Organization: Interaction Between Speakers and Hearers.@@@Discourse Strategies: Studies in International Sociolinguistics.@@@Communicative Acts and Shared Knowledge in Natural Discourse.