THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF THE EQUIVOCATION PROJECT

The theoretical framework of this long-term research project on equivo cation includes three essential principles: (a) An interesting and une xplained phenomenon is worth studying for itself, by inductive methods ; (b) communicative acts are part of a communicative sequence; and (c) the methods must keep the phenomenon in its communicative sequence. T he article explicates these principles and applies them to other resea rch, including the studies in this special issue. The broader issue is the cumulative nature of research, that is, how to judge when a new s tudy adds to, confirms, or disconfirms a body of work versus when new studies take such a different direction that they do not bear on previ ous work.