Describes a study done to determine which intonational parameters are most important to the meaning being conveyed within different social settings. Defines the factors that appear to influence the use of pitch and/or intensity prominence on negative words. Found that, in many situations, interactional rules take precedence over linguistic rules.…

Focuses on the relationship between storytelling and organizational socialization. Examines the form, subject matter, and functions of stories and concludes that stories serve as a means for members of an organization to express their knowledge, understanding, and commitment to the organization. (PD)

Suggests, based on observations of children in a nursery school drawing activity, that what children understand about drawing is intimately tied to what they know of drawing activities undertaken in a particular social context. (FL)

References to the study of behavioral organization of face-to-face interaction are arrranged in alphabetical order by author. A subject classification of works in the bibliography is appended. (EJS)

Describes a study of class assessment meetings in Swedish secondary schools, focusing on communicative practices in these meetings, how interactional patterns are reproduced by the participants in the meetings, and how these patterns are linked to the social organization of schools. Findings indicate that time constraints and a standardized agenda…

Examines the timing of partners' talk in mother-infant engagements over infant age to determine whether variations occur in the incidence of the alternating mode. Findings reflect the facilitative effects of covocalization in preverbal infants and the need for the alternating mode with older infants. (31 references) (Author/CK)

The conversational interactions of 25 mothers and their 4.5-year-old children, who had been born preterm, were evaluated during a social problem-solving task. The subject mothers tended to approach the task as a vocabulary lesson, whereas comparison mothers tended to focus on the social negotiation aspect of the task. Possible explanations for…

Examines what should be the oral component of a foreign language course. Structural, interactive, generic, and contextual constraints are discussed in terms of their implications for teaching. (32 references) (Author/CK)

Examines the use of gender-distinctive language in preschool sibling conversations, focusing on mitigation in directives and related forms used during pretend play. Findings indicate that gender-distinctive patterns of language use are sensitive to variations in situation and interaction partner. (19 references) (CK)

In spite of the theoretical claims and research supporting the relationship between conversational interaction and language learning, the effect of interaction on the acquisition of pragmatic competence has received scant attention. This paper reports on the results of a study carried out to further understand the effect of teacher-students versus…

Historically, teachers have primarily worked alone in their classrooms, have served as deliverers of standardized and textual materials, and have been managed. Now, however, they are expected to work in teams, create active-learning curricula, and manage themselves. This paper examines a self-initiated team of K-6 grade teachers working in a…

Suggests that storytelling is the communicational practice used by jurors to organize information, transmit intragroup understanding and guide judgments. Explores the storytelling process for answers to questions about justice. (MH)

Discusses a study designed to identify areas of research which may increase under standing of the relationship between speaker profanity and impression formation. Provides an experimental test of the predicted interrelationships between profanity, sex variables, and impression formation. (MH)

Describes a study which attempts to place the problem of second language learning and use by bilingual children into a framework of double socialization through the analysis of mother-child and peer group interaction. Ukrainian and Greek second generation mothers and their children aged 5-6 years were observed in four sessions. (SED)

Presents a study of foreigner talk (FT) in a minority language (Welsh) in a bilingual community and describes some of the most prominent features of Welsh FT. FT is defined as a simple form of a language used by native speakers to communicate with non-proficient speakers of the language. (SED)