Deborah Schiffrin is Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University. Major publications include Discourse Markers (1987), Approaches to Discourse (Blackwell 1994), and Language, Text and Interaction (forthcoming).

Deborah Tannen is University Professor and Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics at Georgetown University. Her books include Gender & Discourse (1994), Talking Voices (1989), Conversational Style (1984), The Argument Culture (1999) and You Just Don't Understand (1990). Her newest book is I Only Say This Because I Love You (2001).

Heidi Hamilton is Associate Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University.She is author of Conversations with an Alzheimer's Patient (1994), and Discourse Analysis Across Disciplines (forthcoming), and editor of Language and Communication in Old Age (1999).