ABSTRACT
T HROUGHOUT our lives we are confronted with numerousdifficult communicative situations, but, for many people, themost difficult of all is the process of communicating with a person who is known to be dying. What should be said? What should be avoided? How is the dying person likely to respond? The communicative norms and preferences surrounding this important context are not well known, and what is known has not been widely publicized. It is a skill many do not want to discuss, but most would like to acquire instant expertise when faced with such an encounter.
