Date:  Sun, 26 Oct 1997 21:00:00 -0500
From:  "Donald M. Lance" <engdl[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]SHOWME.MISSOURI.EDU>
Subject: Re: sociolinguistic competence

>   phatic communication

Please! It's phatic communion. The term originated as a reference to
communing with those around us, not communicating with them nonverbally.