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Communication Education
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What is speech communication,

anyway?
a
John T. Marlier
a
Assistant Professor of Speech Communication , Northeastern
University
Published online: 18 May 2009.

To cite this article: John T. Marlier (1980) What is speech communication, anyway?,
Communication Education, 29:4, 324-327, DOI: 10.1080/03634528009378435

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03634528009378435

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 WHAT IS SPEECH
COMMUNICATION,
ANYWAY? John T. Marlier
THE PROBLEM OF incorporating our pedagogical offerings
DISCIPLINARY IDENTITY into their curricula and of the potential
Virtually everyone involved in the dis- for synergy in cross-disciplinary research
cipline of speech communication is, at efforts involving researchers in speech
some time, approached by either a communication.
stranger or a colleague from another We in speech communication are too
discipline and asked to explain, in often perceived as being content to view
twenty-five words or less, just what speech communication as a disunified
speech communication is, anyway. Some field rather than as a discipline with
of these interrogators are sincerely
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an agreed-upon focus which unites us.

motivated and genuinely curious about Unfortunately, this perception of our
what we in speech communication do academic self-concept is also too often
and how our work relates to that of an accurate one.
scholars in other disciplines. For others, It should, perhaps, be noted that to
the question serves as a conversational argue for acceptance of an agreed-upon
entree which provides the questioner focal point around which our dis-
with the opportunity to explain to us ciplinary identity is established is not
what we do and to more or less force- equivalent to arguing for homogeniza-
fully suggest that we have no legitimate tion of our research methodologies, fields
disciplinary identity and ought, there- of specialization, or theoretical perspec-
fore, to disband and allow the other, tives. Psychology and sociology, for ex-
more established departments on cam- ample, have disciplinary identities. With
pus to divvy-up our budget allocations regard to methodologies, psychologists
as a way of promoting more legitimate and sociologists employ a great variety.
academic enterprise. Whichever type is Fields of specialization also vary widely
represented, if the questioner approaches in these disciplines, and the competition
three members of our discipline, three between conceptual schema and theo-
different and more or less inconsistent retical perspectives in these (or any
responses are likely to be obtained. other) disciplines is the source of their
As a result, these colleagues from other vitality and development. Any healthy
disciplines frequently conclude, with discipline, in fact, will exhibit diversity
varying degrees of reluctance, that we in all of these areas.
really do not know what we are about What speech communication has
and that we therefore cannot, realistical- lacked, that other disciplines have and
ly expect academicians from other dis- which is the basis for their disciplinary
ciplines to figure out how our work identity, is a general agreement, both
might relate to theirs. Consequently, within and outside the discipline, as to
many of our academic colleagues remain the kinds of questions which are proper-
unaware both of the possible benefits of ly addressed by the practitioners of those
disciplines.
John T. Marlier is Assistant Professor of Speech
Communication at Northeastern University. The purpose of this essay is to de-
COMMUNICATION EDUCATION, Volume 29, September 1980
 WHAT IS SPEECH COMMUNICATION, ANYWAY?-325

lineate a kind of question which is specialists often utilize concepts, research

properly addressed by a practitioner in methodologies, and jargon borrowed
the discipline of speech communication. from another discipline which studies
Agreement as to this focal point within what happens in some particular con-
the discipline and advertisement of this text. Consequently, such specialists are
agreement to academicians outside the seen by colleagues from that other dis-
discipline would facilitate the realization cipline (and, too often, by themselves as
of the potential synergy of our cross- well) as misplaced political scientists
disciplinary pedagogical and research (or sociologists, or psychologists, etc.).
efforts, especially the latter. Before de- Cross-disciplinary research efforts, there-
fining this focal point, however, it will fore, have frequently served to reinforce
be helpful to delineate some of the the image of speech communication as a
problems associated with the currently disunified field rather than to stimulate
common perception of speech communi- an awareness on the part of colleagues
cation as a disunified field. from other disciplines that a specialized
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understanding of the process of com-

RELATIONSHIPS WITH munication, built upon conceptual
OTHER DISCIPLINES schema and research methodologies ap-
When speech communication courses propriate to the examination of that
have been included in the curricula of process across contexts, is a valuable
other departments, the inclusion has addition to any contextually specific re-
typically been the result of (1) a general search effort in which the subject
recognition both within and outside the being examined exhibits changes over
discipline that oral competency is a uni- time stimulated by, and accomplished
versally needed life skill and (2) internal through, communication.
agreement within a particular speech Speech communication scholars who
communication department that their specialize in the study of communicative
basic courses should develop a student's phenomena in particular contexts, there-
oral communication competency. Many fore, have inadvertently promoted the
of our curricular offerings (and our misconception that what a speech com-
research efforts), however, deal with non- munication scholar brings to a col-
oral communicative phenomena. Con- laborative research effort is a specialized
sequently, the recognition that some of knowledge within a collaborator's dis-
our courses develop necessary oral com- cipline rather than a separate but
munication competency has not led valuable scholarly perspective.
to a generally recognized disciplinary
identity. RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN
Cross-disciplinary research efforts in- THE DISCIPLINE
volving cooperation between researchers Researchers in speech communication
from other disciplines and researchers in with exclusive special interests in areas
speech communication, when they have defined by the context in which com-
occurred, have often been associated munication occurs, who borrow con-
with perceptions on the part of the re- ceptual frameworks, research methods,
searchers from other fields that their and jargon from other disciplines which
collaborators are closet colleagues. Many study those contexts, have also in-
speech communication scholars specialize advertantly contributed to problems
in the study of communicative pheno- within our discipline. Some departments
mena within specific contexts. These of speech communication have come to
 326-COMMUNICATION EDUCATION

resemble Towers of Babel, in which kind of discipline. When the field of

there are minimal interchanges among natural philosophy was split into the
researchers studying similar communica- myriad parts which we recognize today
tive phenomena. The political communi- as distinct and financially competitive
cation specialist studying image making, academic disciplines, the division was
the organizational communication re- made largely in terms of which scholars
searcher studying leadership styles, the were studying what happened in similar
specialist in educational communication contexts. Natural, or hard, scientists, for
examining the means by which a teacher example, study what happens in the
establishes classroom control, and the natural world apart from man. So-
specialist in interpersonal communica- ciologists study what happens when man
tion studying power in interpersonal congregates. Political scientists study
relationships might all inform each what happens when people attempt to
other's work more than they have. To govern themselves. In each case, the
the extent that they have depended central question being addressed by a
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upon other disciplines for their concepts particular discipline is "What is hap-
and methodologies, however, and to the pening?" within the content area or
extent to which they have been defen- context which defines that discipline.
sive of their own perspectives, the Speech communication, on the other
integration of existing knowledge and hand, is a discipline concerned with the
the accumulation of widely useful new study of a dynamic process which occurs
knowledge of the communication pro- in every social context. The general
cess has been impeded. To the extent question which we properly address is
that this integration and accumulation not "What is happening?" in a par-
has been impeded, the insights and fresh ticular context, but rather "How are
perspectives which a speech communica- things happening?" in every social con-
tion researcher brings to a collaborative text.
effort with a researcher from another The line of disciplinary demarcation,
discipline, beyond those available within then, is a simple albeit slippery one.
that other discipline, have been limited. Speech communication is a discipline
The potential synergy of cross-dis- which studies the dynamic interactive
ciplinary research has been, therefore, process through which changes are
largely unrealized. wrought in the social world. As such, it
overlaps portions (but only portions)
A SYNERGY FACILITATING VIEW of many other disciplines. Its identity
OF SPEECH COMMUNICATION derives from its focus on process rather
The potential synergy of cross-dis- than content, and its strength derives
ciplinary research efforts involving from its cross-contextual generality.
speech communication is high, and the Researchers in speech communication,
fresh insights and perspectives which a therefore, are (or should be) specialized
speech communication scholar might generalists. They are specialists in that
bring to such an effort are numerous. To they apply a set of conceptual tools and
understand why this is so, however, it is research methodologies which (regard-
necessary to make another effort at less of whether they are humanistic or
defining speech communication and its empirical) are informed by an awareness
relationship to other disciplines. of the similarities and differences in how
Speech communication is not only a things happen across content areas or
distinct discipline; it is also a distinct contexts and are designed to address a
 WHAT IS SPEECH COMMUNICATION, ANYWAY?-327

limited number of specialized questions and of the manifestations of variables

within any one context. They are which influence the communication pro-
generalists in that they should feel at cess in that context. To expect a speech
home addressing the question of how communication researcher to develop
things happen in a wide range of con- the requisite level of contextually speci-
texts and content areas. fic knowledge to be able to conduct
Researchers from other disciplines research in more than one or two content
argue, of course, that their disciplines defined contexts would be unrealistic.
include not only the study of what is Specialized generalization, in other
happening in their content areas, but words, is not feasible for any individual
also of how it is happening. In fact, researcher working alone, which is pre-
virtually every discipline contains an cisely why the researcher in speech com-
area of specialization concerned with munication should be constantly seeking
just such questions. But while there may collaborators in other disciplines with
be specialized scholars in other dis- whom he or she can conduct research.
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ciplines who concentrate on answering Researchers in other fields have the

questions of how things happen, their specialized and in-depth knowledge of
study is confined to the content areas what is happening in those areas, which
and contexts of that discipline. Their we need to enable us to address the ques-
understanding of process is, therefore, tion of how it is happening. But if we
uninformed by either an in-depth knowl- concentrate on the development of
edge of the similarities and differences in integrated, cross-contextual, and in-depth
the ways things happen across content knowledge of how things happen, then
areas and contexts or by knowledge of we also bring to the collaborative effort
the various methodologies which have resources which our collaborators could
been developed specifically to address not otherwise obtain.
such questions in other contexts. These The potential for synergistic coopera-
scholars could, therefore, benefit from tion between scholars in the speech
collaboration with researchers in speech communication discipline and scholars
communication. in other disciplines, then, is great but
Some scholars within the field of largely unrealized. This potential is
speech communication, too, object to the especially evident in the area of cross-
idea of specialized generalization, but disciplinary research. A major reason
for different reasons. To suggest that for the lack of realization of this po-
researchers in our field should be tential is a common misconception, both
specialized generalists, and thereby within and outside our discipline, that
broaden their understanding of the speech communication lacks a central
similarities and differences in the com- focus around which our disciplinary
munication process across content areas identity could be established. More
and contexts, appears at first glance to widespread acceptance of a concern with
amount to suggesting that one should process (with attempting to address
not do research in speech communica- questions as to how things happen across
tion unless one is prepared to become social contexts), as the focal point
omniscient. Obviously, examination of around which the disciplinary identity
the communication process in any given of speech communication has been
context requires in-depth knowledge of established, would facilitate the realiza-
the elements contained in that context tion of this potential.