There is an ongoing debate whether phenomena of disfluency (such as filled pauses) are produced communicatively. Clark and Fox Tree ("Cognition" 84(1):73-111, 2002) propose that filled pauses are words, and that different forms signal different lengths of delay. This paper evaluates this Filler-As-Words hypothesis by analyzing the…

Basing a manual communication system on written forms of English has two problems: (1) conventional forms of manual communication are based on the wrong modality; and (2) they do not represent English on any level. This causes an imbalance in the word-to-sign ratio in the classroom. (PJM)

Surveys the legal status of English in Israel before and since the country became independent, attitudes toward the language, its use in schools and by the media, the influence of English on Hebrew, the kinds of English used, and related topics. Since 1948, English has played an increasingly greater role. (Author/PJM)

Outlines the current language situation in Singapore in relation to demographic and political changes. Reasons are given for the preeminence of English and the push for Mandarin Chinese as the official language. The role of Premier Lee Kwan Yew and the media in propounding the Republic language policy is discussed. (Author/PJM)

The following papers and reports are included: (1) "Prisoners of Code-Centred Privacy: Reflections on Contrastive Analysis and Related Disciplines" by Kari Sajavaara and Jaakko Lehtonen; (2) "The Methodology and Practice of Contrastive Discourse Analysis" by Sajavaara, Lehtonen, and Liisa Korpimies; (3) "Interactional Activities in Discourse…

English can be considered the number one global language. Though there are positive aspects to having a global language, it can lead to arrogance and complacency among native English-speakers and a sense of grievance and inferiority in other language groups. The paper examines reasons for the spread of English worldwide, discussing the importance…

This paper focuses on the roles and functions that English based vernaculars play in contemporary society and reviews literature pertinent to that topic. Areas considered include (1) societal behavior toward language, (2) language as a group marker, and (3) the contextual parameters of language use. In the discussion of societal behavior toward…

Reviews the history of machine translation (MT) research in China. Describes Chinese MT techniques as based on syntactic analysis, full use of fixed phrases, the key role of funtion words, and emphasis on formal analysis without neglecting meaning. (Available from ALLC, Dr. Rex Last, German Dept., Univ. of Hull, Hull HU57RX, England.) (Author/MES)

This article discusses a study by Segalowitz and Galang that reports results showing better mastery of patient-focus sentences than agent-focus sentences for Tagalog children. (CFM)

Discusses the development and progress of an international corpus of English (ICE) containing a regional corpora sampling of the standard varieties of English in countries where it is a first language, and the national varieties in countries where it is an official additional language. (GLR)

Discusses secondary stress in various types of words (e.g., in certain parts of speech, with certain spelling patterns, etc.) and in various kinds of sentences and communicative situations. (KM)

Discusses major issues pending in the Second Session of the 104th Congress, noting the impact on language education and focusing on educational reform agendas, recissions, the budget process, appropriations, and English as the official U.S. government language. Individuals in related professional organizations are urged to take steps to influence…

Examines current language policy in Canada, particularly regarding Quebec, and discusses possible future developments. (AM)

While English was supported as an official language in India during her pre-independence days, it was during the post-independence days that English bilingualism became widespread. The influence of English can be seen in higher education, elementary and secondary education, national institutions, in the press, and in broadcasting, publishing, and…

This work is an attempt to synthesize the findings of the multi-disciplinary research on various aspects of Chicanos' use of their two languages, Spanish and English. After an introduction on notions of language, speech, and sociology, the text covers nine aspects of the question: (1) historical background on the relations between the English and…