I Heard It On The Grapevine: The Positive Uses of Church Gossip This paper examines the ways gossip functions as a ‘speech act,” one that transforms the relationship between the two speakers. The paper will also examine how this type of unofficial talk influences the dynamics of a social group — such as a ward — in ways that contradict and complicate formal channels of communication. Even though the title highlights the positive function of gossip — primarily in the creation of intimacy between those who swap gossip — Karen Austin will address some of the complications created by these unofficial and untamed speech acts.

Karen D. Austin