Other orientation: uncovering the roots of praxis

Abstract

In honouring Per Linell's achievements, I pursue how dialogue was traced back to praxis. Hence, I begin with how, countering generative theory as overblown, Linell found a hard middle way and, thus, adopted a modest realism. In early work, he traced phonology to what can be heard and, later, diagnosed exclusive emphasis on things or rules as written language bias. Since much depends on how we speak, verbalizing derives, in part, from the influence of others. In modelling speech performance, he therefore turns to a duality of planning and execution. Activity can be orienting to others and/or their doings and sayings. The pattern recurs in initiative-response analysis which effectively tracks isomorphisms in the push and pull of dialogue (initiative and response). Given samenesses, forms, ways of acting, and uses of wordings, we sustain the sociodialogical consciousness of practical and linguistic knowhow. Praxis prompts people to act, transcend situations, use dialogue, construct practical theories and, slowly, change their languaging. In scaling down, I argue that the future prospects of Linell's work lie in rethinking the interdisciplinary area that is concerned with languages, human practices and, above all, their effects.