Language and Dialogue - Volume 15, Issue 3, 2025

Abstract

John Dewey’s enduring influence on philosophy and education is widely acknowledged, yet his distinctive theory of communication remains underexplored in contemporary linguistic scholarship. This paper revisits Dewey’s contribution to a dialogical understanding of language. Through a close reading of his often-overlooked essay “Events and Meaning,” the paper illustrates how Dewey situates the emergence of meaning within dynamic, social processes of communicative interaction. Building on this analysis, the study brings Dewey into conversation with Bakhtin’s dialogism and Weigand’s “Mixed Game Model” to propose a more comprehensive dialogical framework for theorizing language. This synthesis positions dialogue not simply as a feature of language use, but as its constitutive condition, essential to the emergence of meaning itself.

Abstract

Weigand conceptualizes “language as dialogue” and dialogue as “the mixed game.” Translation can be understood as an interaction between different languages and cultures, encapsulating the essence of this mixed game. This process leads to a novel synthesis: Geo-Translatology, an interdisciplinary field that integrates language, geography, and culture. The Chinese tradition highlights harmonious interaction between humans and nature, acknowledging that diverse geographical environments have shaped unique individuals, languages, and cultures. This is due to the fact that languages and cultures have historically developed within specific geographical contexts. Given that translation originates from mutual communication, examining it through the lens of the human–land relationship in geography provides insight into its fundamental origins. This article explores this dialogic framework.

Abstract

The current study compared the realization of the speech act of suggestion between Saudi Arabia and New Zealand. A total of 160 participants took part in the study, half of whom were Saudis (40 identified as males and 40 as females) while the other half were from New Zealand (40 identified as males and 40 as females). The participants performed a role-play task consisting of six scenarios which varied in social distance and dominance. Compared to New Zealanders, Saudis produced a significantly higher number of direct suggestion strategies, in the form of performatives, imperatives and negative imperatives. On the contrary, New Zealanders used a significantly higher number of conventionalized forms, including specific formula and “need” structures, compared to Saudis. Additionally, the two groups of participants were differently influenced by such variables as gender, social distance and social dominance. The results are discussed in relation to the existing literature and the Mixed Game Model.

Abstract

The current study examines individual differences in self-reported irony use in a sample of 151 young adult females in Poland (Mage = 22.19; SD = 2.17). In addition to self-reported irony use (via the Irony Self-Report Scale, a Polish translation of the Sarcasm Self-Report Scale, SSS, Ivanko et al. 2004), we analyzed Big Five personality traits (Ten-Item Personality Inventory, Gosling et al. 2003), humor styles (The Humor Styles Questionnaire, Martin et al., 2003), and self-reported social media use, frequency of face-to-face interactions, and the number of siblings. Self-reported irony use was partially predicted by the personality trait of agreeableness and by three humor styles — aggressive, self-defeating and self-enhancing. Among the other variables, only the number of siblings proved to be a significant predictor of self-reported irony use. Overall, our results add to the emerging literature on individual differences in irony use.

Abstract

This article investigates the professional practices of creative entrepreneurs. The data come from organizational training workshops provided by a photographic artist who acts in a new training profession and uses art-based methods for the purposes of organizational development. Utilizing conversation analysis, we investigate how the artist constructs her trainer role during reflexive leadership exercises, through her feedback turns in initiation-response-feedback (IRF) sequences. The results show that while the artist displays limited epistemic authority with regard to leadership, she draws on her deontic rights, having to do with the procedural flow of the exercises. She may also use facilitative practices that encourage participants towards further reflection. The study sheds light on the practices and developments of new and complex professional settings.

This article reviews Compelling Communication. Writing, Public Speaking and Storytelling for Professional Success978-1-0094-4744-7

This article reviews Children’s Peer Cultures in Dialogue. Participation, hierarchy, and social identity in diverse schools978-9-0272-1788-2

This article reviews (Non)referentiality in Conversation978-9-0272-4704-9