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«“√ “√ √“™∫— ≥±‘ µ¬ ∂“π ªï ∑’Ë Û ©∫— ∫∑’Ë Ò ¡.§.-¡’ .§. ÚıÙ¯ 131 Sid Terason Sid Terason* Communication Study in the 20 th Century : Milestones and Trends * Suan Dusit Rajabhat University Since the early 1900s, the con- ceptualization of communication attracted many scholars away from other disciplines, such as social sciences and humanities, into the field of communication. For decades thereafter, these scholars have con- ducted empirical studies both in an attempt to understand and explain the communication process as well as to create workable theories about it. Communication scholars have assiduously attempted to define the word communication since the early 1950s. As evidence, Dance &Larson (1976) compiled 126 definitions in The Functions of Human Com- munication:ATheoreticalApproach. Griffin (2002) put it in perspective by noting that, as the concept of communication is difficult to capture, most definitions probably say more about the author than they do about the nature of communication. Theorists gave diverse definitions according to their approach to their specific scholarship. For example, Abstract The study of communication has been evolving since the early 20 th century. The various definitions given by the communication scholars reveal the combination of science and humanism. In the United States, the discipline of communication originated in rhetorics. Then, prior toWorldWar II, there emerged a trend in communication research which focused on the effect of communication. After theWar, empirical studies of communication have been widely conducted. The social turbulence during the mid-century caused students to increasingly focus their study on interpersonal communication. European critical theory later influenced the communication concept in the US. From the 70s on, scholars sought for a universal theory to explain communication, believing in Kuhn’s idea that advocates a central theory for any science. Presently, communication still lacks cohesion among sub-fields. Also, we should not use scientific standards to analyze humanistic work and vice versa. Key words : Communication theory, communication concept, the communication discipline, the study of communication in the US.