pragmatics and discourse
In pragmatics , a branch of linguistics , an adjacency pair is an example of conversational turn-taking. An adjacency pair is composed of two utterances by two speakers, one after the other. The speaking of the first utterance (the first-pair part, or the first turn) provokes a responding utterance (the second-pair part, or the second turn). For example, a question such as " What's your name? " requires the addressee to provide an answer in the following turn, thus completing the adjacency pair.
Adjacency pairs
Rhetorical Structure Theory
Welcome to the RST Web Site This is a site devoted to the linguistic topic of Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST). It was created by Bill Mann, and it is maintained by Maite Taboada . It is intended as a resource for those who would like to learn, use, understand, refute, supersede, admire, or question RST. RST raises issues about communication, semantics, and especially the nature of the coherence of texts.
John Austin on performative utterances (From: J. L. Austin, How to Do Things with Words , ed. J.
John Austin on performative utterances
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old. The related ship's christening involves breaking a bottle of liquid, normally wine or champagne, over the bow . [ edit ] Methods of launch There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely used is the end-on launch, in which the vessel slides, usually stern first, down an inclined slipway . The side launch, whereby the ship enters the water broadside, came into 19th-century use on inland waters, rivers, and lakes, and was more widely adopted during World War II.