Tijdschrift voor Taalbeheersing - Volume 41, Issue 1, 2019

Abstract ‘Flap those hands’ – The influence of gestures on retention and speaker’s assessment in an informative presentation To convey information during an oral presentation speakers not only use words, they also gesticulate. Their gestures can be divided into iconic, metaphoric, deictic and beat gestures (McNeill, 1992). Beats (repetitive, short movements) are frowned upon by some presentation skills advisers. E Read More

Abstract Tailoring to job demands: Language arts in vocational education This article explores two cases of teacher beliefs about the connection between students’ language and communication skills in secondary vocational education and training (in the Netherlands: mbo) and the skills required in the dynamic labour market. Previous studies showed that alumni’s language and communication skills do not fit in with chan Read More

Abstract Is translanguaging a sustainable strategy in South African higher education? Translanguaging could potentially harness content and language learning in a second or foreign language. However, there is a paucity of research on the role of language attitudes and language repertoires in determining translanguaging spaces in higher education. The research questions that guided this study were ‘What are le Read More

Abstract You have to face to consequences! Strategic maneuvering with the argumentum ad consequentiam In argumentative discourse fallacies occur regularly, but often they seem not to be noticed by the participants. This also goes for the fallacy known as the argumentum ad consequentiam, in spite of the fact that people generally denounce this fallacy when confronted with clea r cases. In this paper it is argu Read More

Abstract Textual characteristics of deceptive journalism: The Ramesar case Trustworthiness is key in journalism, yet some journalists intentionally deceive their audiences by fabricating sources. In 2014, Dutch journalist Perdiep Ramesar was fired from Trouw, an esteemed national newspaper in the Netherlands, after it was discovered that sources in 126 of his articles were ‘non-verifiable’. This poses the question whether untr Read More

Abstract Strategic maneuvering with style: a systematic approach In the extended pragma-dialectical approach to argumentation (Van Eemeren, 2010), presentational devices are distinguished as one of the three aspects of strategic maneuvering by arguers in argumentative discourse. Language – or stylistic – devices are an important subset of presentational devices. However, analyses of stylistic devices are often ad h Read More

Abstract Problem conversations with young children during group work Problem conversations with intervening teachers may enhance children’s discourse during group work. The few studies focusing on these conversations, however, are normative and experimental in nature, neglecting the joint and sequential nature of these conversations. Therefore, this paper’s aim is to give insight into how teachers and a group of childre Read More

Abstract What are the lessons of research on persuasive documents for the design of more persuasive documents? A review of meta-analytic studies Persuasive communication is designed to elicit certain thoughts and feelings in order to change the audience’s attitudes and intentions, with the ultimate goal of influencing behavior. This paper addresses the question what meta-analyses in the field of persuasion can tell us ab Read More

Abstract Are concrete arguments more decisive than abstract arguments? Research has shown that concrete language is more understandable, interesting and stored better in memory than abstract language (i.e. Sadoski, Goetz, & Rodriguez, 2000). Results are however inconclusive when it comes to the persuasive power of concrete language, which could be due to different operationalisations of the concept across studies. Read More

Abstract The influence of the standpoint on the evaluation of ad populum argumentation This paper presents guidelines for the analysis and evaluation of ad populum argumentation. For both of these tasks the type of standpoint is considered as a relevant factor. The conclusions are based on a critical examination of the argumentation theoretical literature regarding this type of argument and in completing and syste Read More

Abstract Pressure and argumentation in public controversies Discussants in a public controversy are also players in a social arena. Under what circumstances can means of exerting pressure promote reasonable outcomes, and when are they rather hindrances to their achievement? We discuss the use of persuasion dialogues and negotiation dialogues by those who aim at a reasonable outcome. We show how in a public Read More

Abstract The ‘voice of the people’: populism and perspective Recently, a growing body of (political-scientific) literature has focused on the empirical measurement of populism. In such studies, “people-centrism” is one of the most frequently analysed discourse characteristics, i.e. to what extent “the people” are put in the focus of attention in a politician’s discourse. In order to measure people-centrism empirically, it is common p Read More

Abstract The effect of monologues and dialogues in radio commercials Previous research has shown that the use of dialogues instead of monologues in radio narratives stimulates the imagination of listeners and increases involvement with the narratives (Rodero, 2012). To date, no research has investigated the effectiveness of dialogues versus monologues in radio commercials. The aim of the current study was to i Read More

Abstract A significant problem Null-hypothesis significance testing is the major form of inferential statistics in the field of applied communication research. On many occasions, substantive conclusions are drawn solely on the basis of the (in)significance of a test result. The justification for these conclusions, however, is suspect, because the results of significance testing are too often misinterpreted. The questionable practice of d Read More

Abstract The role of semantic distance in visual metaphors The role of semantic distance between two juxtaposed objects has not been studied thoroughly in visual perception. Does information processing differ between visual metaphors and semantically close objects (hyponyms), or between visual metaphors and semantically distant objects? Probably, semantic distance causes viewers to identify visual metaphors les Read More

Abstract The role of similarity in narrative persuasion This paper presents two studies on the role of similarity in the processing of narratives. In Experiment 1 (N = 83), female students were presented with one of two versions of a story about the severe consequences of breast cancer. In the similar version, the protagonist was a 22-year-old female student; in the dissimilar version, the protagonist was a 59-year-old working w Read More

Abstract The judge’s rhetorical questions as ground of objection: an argumentation-analytical model A complaint about the lack of impartiality of a judge may be filed on the grounds of the judge’s verbal behaviour. Such a complaint may result in the disqualification of the judge. In this paper, criticism on the verbal behaviour of the judge will be discussed from an argumentative perspective. From this perspective, the disqualific Read More

Abstract The Editor as Text Evaluator: Acquisition and Editing at Dutch General Publishing Companies In this article the contribution of the editor in the book production process of Dutch general publishing companies is explored. Editors are involved in and responsible for text evaluation in two stages of the book production process. Results from book publishing studies show the underlying criteria for the acquisition of new book Read More

Abstract A pragma-dialectical reconstruction of contributions to the discussion by both doctor and patient in ‘shared decision-making’ Medical consultation nowadays generally proceeds in accordance with the process of shared decision-making (SDM). In the literature on medical communication, the general characteristics of this process seem to be agreed upon. With respect to the specific division of labour betw Read More

Abstract Lasting impacts: Making research robust and relevant Lessons gleaned from educational research become sustainable only if incorporated into standard practice, institutionalized by being integrated into pedagogical approaches and teacher preparation, and recognized as the default way of doing things. The rarity with which research findings have had this sort of consequence in the field of education constitutes a maj Read More