Examines the development of sales genres in mainland China in the pre-reform period (1949-78) and the reform period (1978 to the present). Discusses how all the sales genres are related to the three larger genres in Chinese written discourse: the superior writing to the subordinate, the subordinate writing to the superior, and equals writing to…

Takes issue with standard characterizations of Japanese expository prose styles on the grounds that they view language and culture as exotic and static. Draws on multiple interpretations of ki-sho-ten-ketsu (classical rhetoric) offered by composition specialists in Japan. Suggests that researchers and writing teachers should be wary of…

A study investigated the importance of sentence topic in written discourse. Training second language writers to identify sentence topics in drafts of their written work has been proposed as a central means of helping writers achieve greater coherence. The study explored the notion that "topic" is a psychological rather than linguistic concept, and…

A study examined whether Canadian twelfth grade students' papers would rate differently when they were written in different modes and whether there are significant differences between global (modified holistic) scores and rhetorical effectiveness (modified primary trait) scores for the same papers. Fifty students wrote on two transactional topics…

Exploring writing in its many social and cultural variations, the seven articles in the first part of this book show different genres of writing serving various purposes in diverse contexts, while the six articles in the second part examine the effects of oral language differences on the learning and teaching of writing. Topics covered in the…

Presents a continuation of previous research on a general development process consisting of successive levels in conceptualization. Explores how young children conceptualize the writing system. Considers both social background and preschool system of education. Concludes that teaching activities used in French nursery schools are less effective…

Focusing on the relationship between learning oral language and learning about written language, this book discusses the emergent literacy (EL) of children growing up in a Western, print-oriented society, as well as findings of research conducted during the past 15 years on how children make sense of the way in which literacy works in their…