ABSTRACT

Dialoguing is fundamental to the way that we use language: we are usually speaking to, or writing for, someone. Dialoguing is extremely important in all cultural and political contexts, and is fundamental to communication. The breakdown of dialoguing, the failure to be able to creatively exchange views and understand another point of view, can produce extreme tension in personal relationships. One function of dialogue in a narrative or play can be that it reveals character and furthers the action. Playwrights often use dialogue in this functional way. Communication in dialogue, however, is not only between participants: there is also the question of how the reader or audience is positioned. Although dialogue technically involves two people talking to each other, it may include several people and many different voices. Dialoguing takes a variety of social forms in contemporary society, from a private chat between friends to public debate.