Translingual dispositions, characterized by a general openness to plurality and difference in the ways people use language, are central for all users of English in a globalized society, and the fostering of such proclivities is an imperative to the contemporary composition classroom. In this article, we analyze student writing that emerged from a…

This article analyzes the rhetoric of public attitudes toward composition, as represented in Stanley Fish's "Think Again" blog in the "New York Times" and in comments posted by his readers. Fish denounces the field of composition as highly politicized and anti-academic and advocates instead a belletristic, current-traditional…

As English spreads as an international language, it evolves through diverse users' writing and speaking. However, traditional views of ESL users focus on their distance from fairly static notions of English-language competence. This research uses a grounded theory approach to describe a range of competencies that emerge in ESL users' interactions…

Important ideas and events in the history of rhetoric are examined in order to illumine the present situation, especially the problem of defining the concept of rhetoric. From Plato's hostility to rhetoric and Aristotle's epistomological rehabilitation of it to the later ethical emphasis of Cicero and the Medieval Christian rhetoriticians, the…

This study gives factual information on the current usage of 29 items by American writers, based on the Brown University Corpus of American English, a selection of samples of prose, coded on magnetic tape in a format accessible to computerized inquiries. (Author)

The importance of improving English instructors' attitudes toward three broadly classified forms of language expression is examined. The author notes an increased interest in languages among college freshmen and defines the differences between (1) artistic, (2) playful, and (3) intellectual expression. Pressure resulting from advanced teaching…

This is an attempt to define what being a responsible and responsive user of English might mean in a world ordered by global capital, a world where all forms of intra- and international exchanges in all areas of life are increasingly under pressure to involve English. Turning to recent work in linguistics and education, I pose a set of alternative…

The proper approach to teaching spelling is to teach students how to be suspicious, sensitive to possible problems. (JH)

Workshop reports of 35 committees meeting at the Conference on College Composition and Communication are included. Nine reports discuss types of composition courses or programs which emphasize either rhetoric, literature, language, or communication. Five reports discuss the needs of and programs established for special students--superior,…