Theory Question from a Neophyte

[Tom Craig]

Greetings from Canada, Niagara Region.

The scholarly work of Deborah Tannen on the oral/literate continumm might
also be helpful for exploring computer mediated
communication. (Tannen is a former student and teaching assistant for
Wallace Chafe at the University of California and is now well known
as a public intellectual and linguist with an international reputation.)

I don't know their work in the last decade or so, but two of their earlier
edited volumes might provide some insight:

Deborah Tanner, ed. Spoken and Written Language. 1982. Ablex.
Wallace Chafe, ed. The Pear Stories: Cognitive, Cultural, and Linguistic
Aspects of Narrative Production. Vol III. 1980. Ablex.

I'd also be interested in what you find in this area.

With regard,

Tom

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom Craig, PhD

Associate Editor, The American Journal of Semiotics
  ISSN: 0277-7126
  http://semiotics-ssa.com

Guest Editor: Linguistics and Semiotics
  The American Journal of Semiotics
  http://ssa-semiotic.org/TAJS-Lcs05-CFP.html
  Email: tajsweb at semiotics-ssa.com

Fellow & Internet Director, International Communicology Institute
  http://www.communicology.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Fri, 1 Oct 2004 09:03:34 -0400, Eleanor Kutz <Eleanor.Kutz at UMB.EDU>
wrote:

Wallace Chafe has done a lot of work comparing people's spoken and
written language when used for various purposes.  I've found his
analytical approach to be very useful in my own work and for my graduate
students.  I don't know of anyone who has applied this to
computer-mediated communication, but that's not something I've looked
for.
I'd love to hear more about what you find.
Ellie Kutz

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Revels [mailto:mark.revels at WKU.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, September 30, 2004 8:44 PM
To: DISCOURS at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
Subject: Theory Question from a Neophyte


Hello Linguists!

I am a doctoral student studying the use of computer mediated
communication in higher education. I am looking for an extant theory
that rates the use of verbal communication in comparison to other forms.
For example, has verbal communication been shown to be the most
effective, efficient, etc.?

Also, I would be interested in knowing about linguistic/communication
theories that compare verbal communications to other forms, specifically
in the context of learning.

Any help in this area would be much appreciated!

Mark