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The dimensions we have used to describe conversations and classroom discourse are summarized in Table 4.5. These dimensions define some of the important differences between private and public forms of talk and demonstrate how language use changes in different situations. Every time you adjust the way you talk to a different social context, you show your tacit understanding of these dimensions.
Table 4.5 – Dimensions of Discourse
| Private Discourse | Discourse Dimension | Public Discourse |
| reciprocal | interaction pattern | nonreciprocal |
| egalitarian | power distribution | nonegalitarian |
| personal/informal | language choice | impersonal/formal |
| spontaneous | amount of forethought | scripted |
| privately owned | information accessibility | Publicly accessible |
| implicit | meanings | explicit |
| relational | orientation | task oriented |
Interactive Discourse: Coherence and Structure
In addition to knowing general forms of discourse, communicators must coordinate communication. This knowledge is of particular concern in interactive discourse, in which communicators must be particularly sensitive to coherence and structure.
