Dialogue has been analyzed by educational theorists mainly from a perspective of representation. However, social theory on language has long questioned whether representation is the primary function of language. Thus, educational debates over the uses and abuses of dialogue entail a blind spot. What if dialogue works in ways that are not representational? What if dialogue is, rather, to be understood as both representation and discourse? In this article, the author argues that dialogue must be understood in both ways. As such, dialogue may be a representational benefit, but it is also a discursive danger.