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case of form in interaction with function. In order for conversation to proceed in real time with the local management inherent to its nature, function must overcome the limitations of form. The intent of participants to engage in natural conversation overrides the form. They overcome the text and system restraints and conduct conversation in a way similar to that which they might do in either signed or spoken face-to-face interaction. This was evidenced throughout the analysis. The technology constraints do not permit interruption or intelligible overlap and make the turn-taking system more stylized than occurs in natural spoken or signed conversation . The openings of text-telephone calls need to take special account of the demand to both self- and other-identify before the business of the call can proceed. This has to be achieved with little secondary information. Conversation by its very nature-and this is what differentiates it from other speech exchange systems-allows most of its parameters to vary freely. In spite of the constraints, however, the turn-taking mechanisms, procedures for repair, openings and closings, turn size, turn allocation, and turn content are locally managed in a turn-by-turn fashion by the participants . For the most part, text telephones allow these parameters to vary similarly, but aspects of turn-taking, turn allocation, opening, and closings need to show "situational adaptation" to meet the demands of the system. There is a classic case of human-machine interface in successfully conducting conversation in this mode. The effectiveness of a particular configuration depends upon its adaptation to, and acceptance by, the persons who will operate it (Schein and Hamilton 1980). Knowledge of the operation of Minicom alone will not result in successful conversation. Although the medium of transmission may at first glance be thought to be "voiceless ," "expressionless," and linear, this is revealed not to be the case. The range of subtleties displaying humor, irony, anger, surprise, and confusion is striking. The suprasegmental aspects of speech that are clearly unavailable to parties on text telephones are substituted for by a wide range of text features that appear "speech like." The creative use of punctuation, spelling, regional "dialects," slang, and exclamation together create the impression of a spoken or signed face-to-face interaction. The participants manage well to overcome the constraints set up by the technology to displaya wide range of affect to their conversational partners. These affects run parallel with the literal content of the text in much the same way as the content of a spoken message is interwoven with the intonational meaning conveyed. If a party to the talk wishes to move the coldness of text into a display of affect this needs to be encoded volitionally in 102 : MERYL GLASER case of form in interaction with function. In order for conversation to proceed in real time with the local management inherent to its nature, function must overcome the limitations of form. The intent of participants to engage in natural conversation overrides the form. They overcome the text and system restraints and conduct conversation in a way similar to that which they might do in either signed or spoken face-to-face interaction. This was evidenced throughout the analysis. The technology constraints do not permit interruption or intelligible overlap and make the turn-taking system more stylized than occurs in natural spoken or signed conversation . The openings of text-telephone calls need to take special account of the demand to both self- and other-identify before the business of the call can proceed. This has to be achieved with little secondary information. Conversation by its very nature-and this is what differentiates it from other speech exchange systems-allows most of its parameters to vary freely. In spite of the constraints, however, the turn-taking mechanisms, procedures for repair, openings and closings, turn size, turn allocation, and turn content are locally managed in a turn-by-turn fashion by the participants . For the most part, text telephones allow these parameters to vary similarly, but aspects of turn-taking, turn allocation, opening, and closings need to show "situational adaptation" to meet the demands of the system. There is a classic case of human-machine interface in successfully conducting conversation in this mode. The effectiveness of a particular configuration depends upon its adaptation to, and acceptance by, the persons who will operate it (Schein and Hamilton 1980). Knowledge of the operation of Minicom alone will not result in successful conversation. Although the medium of transmission...

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