A great deal of research on second language (L2) input has provided useful linguistic evidence for the development of generalizations about and hypotheses on the usage-based nature of L2 knowledge. However, despite the fact that classrooms are one of the most ubiquitous sites of L2 learning, we still know very little about the linguistic quality…

Despite the importance of public speaking skills for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students' academic and professional success, few EAP textbooks incorporate authentic, professional speech models. Thus, many EAP instructors have turned to TED talks for dynamic speech models. Yet a single TED talk may be too long for viewing in class and may…

Online auctions are dominated by eBay, which started bringing together buyers and sellers in 1995. eBay product listings can easily be used in business communication courses to better understand online sales messages. One great advantage is that the vast majority of nearly 15 million listings a day are written and assembled by everyday consumers…

Text analytics refers to the process of analyzing unstructured data from documented sources, including open-ended surveys, blogs, and other types of web dialog. Text analytics has enveloped the concept of text mining, an analysis approach influenced heavily from data mining. While text mining has been covered extensively in various computer…

Describes an undergraduate writing course on communicating public policy. Discusses how academic instruction in professional and technical communication can show students, by simulating practical experience and by developing a discourse analytic perspective, what elected officials, governmental staff, and non-profit non-governmental organizations…

Endeavors to reassert the validity of a many-faceted agenda to which qualitative analysis of classroom talk remains central and to present a review of advances made in the gathering and interpretation of talk-evidence so that possible lines of further development can be indicated. (44 references) (Author/CK)

Describes a class project in which students solicited the opinions of famous and important people concerning the issue of nuclear war. The project taught students the process of inquiry and critical thinking. (HTH)

Describes a 4-week unit of study that focuses on Shakespeare's "The Tempest," a text that has been especially controversial in today's climate of increased multicultural awareness. Involves students in a larger conversation about the possibilities for reading and interpreting literature and prepares them to write mature analyses of the…

Reevaluates the role of communication within the communicative approach to second-language learning. The article explores the consequences of using the notion of the speech act in the classroom, dissociating it from other speech acts, context, culture, and grammar. The article concludes that this approach may caricature authentic conversation. (48…

Focuses on the sophisticated means used by teachers to influence students to do things. The article discusses the resources available for modulation, presents the semantic continuum from subjective realizations via objective realizations to "demodalised" realizations, and applies this framework to teacher talk extracts. The article…

Describes an upper-division English course called "The Rhetoric of AIDS," focusing on learning to read the cultural discourses of science, medicine, government, public policy, sexuality, and social justice. Discusses classroom discussions, teaching collectives, collective educational projects for the rest of campus, and community-service projects,…

Emphasizes that traditional textbook explanations of the preterite and imperfect tend to focus on their aspectual differences. The article argues that a comprehensive analysis of the interaction of these two tenses in narration must go beyond aspect to include their respective temporal and discourse properties. (30 references) (Author/CK)

A variety of exercises based on manipulation of a single text are described. The activities involve replacing words or phrases in the text with synonyms or opposites, transposing gender, changing tenses, filling in blanks, and answering multiple-choice questions about linguistic forms. Three brief sample texts are offered. (MSE)

Project-based curricula have the potential to engage students' interests. But how do students become interested in the goals of a project? This article documents how a group of 8th-grade students participated in an architectural design project called the Antarctica Project. The project is based on the imaginary premise that students need to design…

Shows how a language matrix can be used to raise awareness of the role context plays in determining language choice for a given communicative function. The article suggests how the matrix can be used in language awareness and consciousness-raising activities to provide opportunities for contrastive analysis and discussion of politeness strategies…