In big cities, one is constantly crossing paths with strangers. This creates a particular communicative frame, involving specific conditions for dialogue and silence. Mass transportation tends to bring those strangers closer, making them travel together, and sit or stand side by side. Not only conversation, but also silence among those people, unknown to each other, is an interesting aspect of social interatction in transit rides. Drawning on Bakhtin's and VolochÃnov's suggestions on the issues of communication and expression, as well as on other theoretical contributions, we attempt o elucidate certain aspects of silent confrontation during bus rides in Rio de Janeiro. We also try make a few indications concerning communicative processes in general.
