The innocence of words : a taxonomy of speech acts used by practitioners of alternative dispute resolution as described in selected alternative dispute resolution literature
Date
2003
Authors
Poupart, Emily Claire
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Abstract
This work explores the description of language and communication in a selected ADR literature. It compiles a list of utterance types described by practitioners and theorists and analyzes them according to Austin and Searle's Speech Act Theory. The study seeks to answer the following questions using case study and content analysis: What speech acts, commonly used in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), appear in the discussion of language in ADR literature? What are appropriate definitions of such speech acts? Which speech acts are specific to different models of dispute resolution? A scheme is created that classifies the utterance types in a taxonomy. The speech acts created are expository, interrogative and creative. Expository speech acts provide the information needed to understand the context of discussions and the situation having led to it. Participants, to communicate or share information about the situation, use interrogative utterances. Creative utterances are used to create discussion and generate ideas.