A Discourse Analysis of First Corinthians	Ralph Bruce Terry
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I would like to express my appreciation to the members of my committee—Robert E. Longacre, Joseph W. Bastien, Donald A. Burquest, Kenneth L. Pike, Robert J. Reddick, and Nancy V. Wood—for all their help and encouragement first in their classes and then in producing this dissertation. A very special thanks goes to Robert Longacre, who has served not only as my supervising professor but also as my mentor in discourse analysis; much of this study is built on a foundation which he has laid well over the past twenty-five years. He has offered many helpful suggestions as this work has proceeded through the various drafts which he willingly read. A special thanks also goes to Robert Reddick, who not only first introduced me to the academic study of discourse, but who also read this dissertation in draft form in its entirety and suggested many helpful revisions that have improved the final presentation. I also want to thank Kenneth Pike and Nancy Wood for reading substantial portions of the drafts and offering helpful suggestions. Nancy Wood has also graciously provided me with a teaching assistantship during the course of this study which has made life somewhat easier financially; for this and for the experience gained in the classroom I thank her.

I also want to thank my former teachers at Abilene Christian University for the background in Biblical studies which they provided me while working on my master's degrees; of special note are Ian Fair, Everett Ferguson, and Robert Johnston, in whose classes work on some parts of the research in this study was first begun. I wish to express my appreciation, not only to the library and librarians at The University of Texas at Arlington, but also to those at the International Linguistics Center, Texas Christian University, Southwestern Baptist Seminary, and Abilene Christian University.

I would be remiss if I did not express my deepest gratitude to my family and friends for their support and encouragement during the time that I was engaged in this study. I know that my children—Brina, Breta, and Becka—had to put up with daddy staying home with the word processor all too often. And their grandparents no doubt have felt that they have seen too little of their grandchildren during this period. But they have all followed my progress with encouragement. So too has my church family at Southside Church of Christ in Fort Worth; my thanks to them for making our stay in Fort Worth seem like home. But especially I want to thank my wife Barbara; she has been a loving support in many more ways than one.

And now the greatest thanks are due to our God for His salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ. May this study be to His glory as we more clearly hear His Spirit speak in His word.

April 14, 1993