Robert E. Sanders is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication at State University of New York at Albany.

"This is definitely a book which addresses, head on, a fundamental topic for language and communication studies. The author pursues this topic with a highly principled theoretical perspective. He applies this general perspective to several currently popular research areas. Thus, the book combines fundamental, theoretically grounded discussion, but applies it broadly and powerfully. " — Gerry Philipsen"Sanders views diverse communication phenomena from the standpoint of the concept of coherence or relevance (and attached concepts). This allows him to say some surprising and informative things about persuasion, visual communication, and cross-cultural communication, for example. This is a very good example of theory construction, one of the best I have seen in the field of communication." — James J. Bradac"The book integrates contemporary literature and scholarship in language, logic, philosophy, communication and cognitive science and integrates it into a volume devoted to communication and understanding. The field of communication needs this." — Donald G. Ellis

• PrefaceGlossary of SymbolsPart I. Toward an Adequate Theory of Strategic Communication: Conceptual and Metatheoretical Foundations 1. Strategic Communication: Controlling Understandings2. Requirements for an Adequate Theory of Strategic CommunicationPart II. Utterance Meanings and Specific Interpretations: Controlling Understandings in Discourses and Dialogues 3. Types of Utterance Meaning: Propositional Content, Implicature and Illocutionary Act4. The Relevance of Utterances: Warrants for Specific Interpretations5. Laboratory Studies of the Specific Interpretation of UtterancesPart III. Controlling Understandings in Different Media and in Different Cultures 6. The Specific Interpretation of Nonverbal Displays in Different Media, Alone and in Combination with Utterances7. Universals of Communication Competence: Understanding and Being Understood by ForeignersPart IV. A Theory of Strategic Communication and Its Application in Studies of Conversation and Persuasion 8. The Strategic Formulation of Utterances and Nonverbals: Projecting Possible and Probable Consequences9. Orderliness, Disorder and Strategy in Ordinary Conversation10. Persuasion: Constraining Individuals and Changing Social AggregatesEndwordReferencesSubject IndexIndex of Proper Names

Robert E. Sanders is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication at State University of New York at Albany.

"This is definitely a book which addresses, head on, a fundamental topic for language and communication studies. The author pursues this topic with a highly principled theoretical perspective. He applies this general perspective to several currently popular research areas. Thus, the book combines fundamental, theoretically grounded discussion, but applies it broadly and powerfully. " — Gerry Philipsen"Sanders views diverse communication phenomena from the standpoint of the concept of coherence or relevance (and attached concepts). This allows him to say some surprising and informative things about persuasion, visual communication, and cross-cultural communication, for example. This is a very good example of theory construction, one of the best I have seen in the field of communication." — James J. Bradac"The book integrates contemporary literature and scholarship in language, logic, philosophy, communication and cognitive science and integrates it into a volume devoted to communication and understanding. The field of communication needs this." — Donald G. Ellis

• PrefaceGlossary of SymbolsPart I. Toward an Adequate Theory of Strategic Communication: Conceptual and Metatheoretical Foundations 1. Strategic Communication: Controlling Understandings2. Requirements for an Adequate Theory of Strategic CommunicationPart II. Utterance Meanings and Specific Interpretations: Controlling Understandings in Discourses and Dialogues 3. Types of Utterance Meaning: Propositional Content, Implicature and Illocutionary Act4. The Relevance of Utterances: Warrants for Specific Interpretations5. Laboratory Studies of the Specific Interpretation of UtterancesPart III. Controlling Understandings in Different Media and in Different Cultures 6. The Specific Interpretation of Nonverbal Displays in Different Media, Alone and in Combination with Utterances7. Universals of Communication Competence: Understanding and Being Understood by ForeignersPart IV. A Theory of Strategic Communication and Its Application in Studies of Conversation and Persuasion 8. The Strategic Formulation of Utterances and Nonverbals: Projecting Possible and Probable Consequences9. Orderliness, Disorder and Strategy in Ordinary Conversation10. Persuasion: Constraining Individuals and Changing Social AggregatesEndwordReferencesSubject IndexIndex of Proper Names

Robert E. Sanders is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication at State University of New York at Albany.

"This is definitely a book which addresses, head on, a fundamental topic for language and communication studies. The author pursues this topic with a highly principled theoretical perspective. He applies this general perspective to several currently popular research areas. Thus, the book combines fundamental, theoretically grounded discussion, but applies it broadly and powerfully. " — Gerry Philipsen"Sanders views diverse communication phenomena from the standpoint of the concept of coherence or relevance (and attached concepts). This allows him to say some surprising and informative things about persuasion, visual communication, and cross-cultural communication, for example. This is a very good example of theory construction, one of the best I have seen in the field of communication." — James J. Bradac"The book integrates contemporary literature and scholarship in language, logic, philosophy, communication and cognitive science and integrates it into a volume devoted to communication and understanding. The field of communication needs this." — Donald G. Ellis

• PrefaceGlossary of SymbolsPart I. Toward an Adequate Theory of Strategic Communication: Conceptual and Metatheoretical Foundations 1. Strategic Communication: Controlling Understandings2. Requirements for an Adequate Theory of Strategic CommunicationPart II. Utterance Meanings and Specific Interpretations: Controlling Understandings in Discourses and Dialogues 3. Types of Utterance Meaning: Propositional Content, Implicature and Illocutionary Act4. The Relevance of Utterances: Warrants for Specific Interpretations5. Laboratory Studies of the Specific Interpretation of UtterancesPart III. Controlling Understandings in Different Media and in Different Cultures 6. The Specific Interpretation of Nonverbal Displays in Different Media, Alone and in Combination with Utterances7. Universals of Communication Competence: Understanding and Being Understood by ForeignersPart IV. A Theory of Strategic Communication and Its Application in Studies of Conversation and Persuasion 8. The Strategic Formulation of Utterances and Nonverbals: Projecting Possible and Probable Consequences9. Orderliness, Disorder and Strategy in Ordinary Conversation10. Persuasion: Constraining Individuals and Changing Social AggregatesEndwordReferencesSubject IndexIndex of Proper Names