A question of context: Directive use at a morris team meeting

Studies of Speech acts Such as directives and of Gender and language use Have Rarely Considered The details of The Speech Context. Comparing Men's and Women's use of directives at a dance Group Meeting, I find Little difference in The frequency With Which They direct Others, The Targets of Their directives, Or The types of directives used. Status variations Within The Group, although More important Than Gender, Still fail To Show The primary factors influencing The use of directives. Directive usage Cannot Be adequately understood Without Considering The Specific Contexts in Which directives Occur. Potentially face-threatening, directives are used Most and Expressed Most Strongly When another Threat To Conversation Outweighs The Threat of The directive, When The Bonds Between participants are Strong Enough To Mitigate The Threat, Or When a High degree of involvement in a Conversation Renders The Threat Less potent and Encourages The Expression of Solidarity and interest. (Conversation analysis, directives, Gender and language use, Speech acts, English).