ABSTRACT
The approach to formulating a theory of representation that I will take is based on Michael Bakhtin, who is best known as a literary theorist though he saw his efforts as the basis for a general theory of linguistic representation. What is unique about his theory is its basic assumption that all language use is intersubjectively oriented and organized, reflecting in its composition the various voices that form the crosscurrents of its author’s personal and/or professional worlds. Analyzes conducted from this perspective led Bakhtin to conclude that more complexly and evidently intersubjective compositions, more highly “dialogized” compositions, in his terms, result in more subtle and objective representations.
