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This paper presents the notion that a metaphor is one of the discursive tools whereby people position themselves with regard to a change process. Based on Sebeok and Danesi's theory, I analyze two 'root' metaphors (articulated by an interviewee) to illustrate the assumption of positions and counterpositions and the way metaphors mediate this positioning. The paper suggests that in the specific context of organizational change, positioning plays the social role of denoting for people (who are considered members of this new social experience) the expected modes of behavior.

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This article studies an argument that took place in an institutional setting and specifies six functions of talk and embodied practices employed in an argument between a superior and her subordinate. The article shows how certain argumentative conducts and their subsequent responses preserve the institutional hierarchical relationship. The article’s final section considers three resultant issues: 1) argumentative practices and their relation to various institutional hierarchies; 2) argumentative practices between people holding different versus similar hierarchical positions; and 3) the extent to which verbal defiance accompanied by embodied practices can be maintained.

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