Lesson plan

Collapsing sequence

A collapsing sequence occurs in human speech when utterance pairs between speakers have some unspoken thought occurring between them that may make the latter phrase, out of context, seem to have no logical connection to the former; there is, however, an implication that logical thought has occurred between the two phrases, so that the latter phrase will make sense based upon an assumption of its relation to the former.

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Article summary

A collapsing sequence occurs in human speech when utterance pairs between speakers have some unspoken thought occurring between them that may make the latter phrase, out of context, seem to have no logical connection to the former; there is, however, an implication that logical thought has occurred between the two phrases, so that the latter phrase will make sense based upon an assumption of its relation to the former.

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Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.