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Discussion published In: Language and Dialogue
Vol. 15:3 (2025) ► pp.349–361

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Discussion article

Why we must communicate

Dewey’s contribution to the dialogic theory of language

 | Bar-Ilan University
Published online: 19 September 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ld.00209.mis
Abstract
John Dewey’s enduring influence on philosophy and education is widely acknowledged, yet his distinctive theory of communication remains underexplored in contemporary linguistic scholarship. This paper revisits Dewey’s contribution to a dialogical understanding of language. Through a close reading of his often-overlooked essay “Events and Meaning,” the paper illustrates how Dewey situates the emergence of meaning within dynamic, social processes of communicative interaction. Building on this analysis, the study brings Dewey into conversation with Bakhtin’s dialogism and Weigand’s “Mixed Game Model” to propose a more comprehensive dialogical framework for theorizing language. This synthesis positions dialogue not simply as a feature of language use, but as its constitutive condition, essential to the emergence of meaning itself.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Rethinking Language through Pragmatism
  • 3.Meaning and conversation
  • 4.Towards an integrated dialogic theory
    • 4.1Bakhtin’s dialogic theory
    • 4.2Weigand’s mixed game model
    • 4.3Convergences and Dewey’s distinct contribution
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Note
  • References
References (37)
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