Abstract
The term ‘dialogue’ has its origin in the study of human language, where it is regarded primarily as a form of discourse, and hence as a pragmatic-level phenomenon. However, ‘dialogue’ is nowadays also used to denote humancomputer interaction; and in this field it tends to be described in syntactic rather than in pragmatic terms. But to treat dialogue as though the term had two distinct senses is unsatisfactory and unwarranted. Instead, we show how it is possible to maintain a consistent, discourse-based view of dialogue that encompasses not only interpersonal communication but also multimodal human-computer interaction.
About the authors
John Connolly (b. 1950) is Senior Lecturer at Loughborough University. His research interests are semiotics, linguistics, computer-based communication, and context modelling. His publications include ‘Accommodating natural language within the Organizational Semiotic framework’ (2002); ‘Semiotics and the theoretical foundations of multimedia’ (with I. W. Phillips, 2002); ‘The question of discourse representation in Functional Discourse Grammar’ (2004); and ‘The pragmatics of programming languages’ (with J. Cooke, 2004).
Alan Chamberlain (b. 1973) is Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham. His research interests are mobile and wearable human-computer interaction, pervasive computing, accessible design, and critical interpretations of new technologies and new HCI-based frameworks. His publications include ‘Designer, user, meaning maker: Rethinking relationships for a more creative HCI’ (with D. England et al., 2004); ‘Design considerations for elderly users in domestic pervasive environments’ (with R. S. Kalawsky, 2004); and ‘A comparative investigation into two pointing systems for use with wearable computers while mobile’ (with R. S. Kalawsky, 2004).
Iain W. Phillips (b. 1967) is Lecturer at Loughborough University. His research interests are internet performance, ad-hoc networking, and humancentered HCI. His publications include ‘Semiotics and the theoretical foundations of multimedia’ (with J. H. Connolly, 2002); ‘Neural approach to detecting communication network events’ (with J. M. Sandford and D. J. Parish, 2002); ‘Using packet size distributions to identify real-time networked applications’ (with D. J. Parish et al., 2003); and ‘Presentation of real-time communication network measurement information’ (with D. J. Parish et al., 2004).
© Walter de Gruyter
