It is suggested that the most widely-known estimate of English speech rates, based on the speech of radio announcers, and a comparison of English and French radio announcer speech rates do not represent a truly standard range of speech rates. An alternative range is proposed. (Author/MSE)

A study of the acquisition of interrogative forms in children of high socioeconomic status reveals that utterances belong more to the colloquial than to the standard range. It is concluded that disadvantaged children would show similar usage, leading to the suggestion that teachers teach language as they use it. (Text is in French.) (CDSH/CLK)

Discusses the problem of discrepancies between the pedagogical model of the French language traditionally used in language instruction, and the model of so-called "common French." (Text is in French.) (CLK)

Discusses the dilemma that language variation studies have caused concerning the choice of language variety to be used in language instruction, and outlines a taxinomic model for looking at language variation (Text is in French.) (CLK)

Linguistics is the study of language, as contrasted with knowledge of a specific language. Formal linguistics is the study of the structures and processes of language, or how it works and is organized. Different approaches to formal linguistics include traditional or prescriptive, structural, and generative or transformational perspectives. Formal…

The introductory article in an issue devoted to language and communication situations. This topic is treated for the following reasons: linguistic competence means communicative competence; structure and external communication conditions have equal real value; and dichotomies are operative in different types of communication. (Text is in French.)…

Argues that while much research on spoken Arabic uses Classical Arabic as the standard for measuring variation, the assumption leads to fundamental and persistent misunderstanding of the true situation. More careful examination of empirical data reveals that variation and change in spoken Arabic involves interplay between local varieties and…

The current move toward sexual equality in society has caused sociolinguists to question assumptions that male language is the norm for all language, with women's language a variation of it. Desexitization of the language has become important in the field of linguistics. nAuthor/HLM)

Papers from a British conference on applied linguistics address various aspects of evaluation and language. Articles include: "Grammar and Language Impairment: Clinical Linguistics as Applied Linguistics" (Paul Fletcher); "Putting Our Practice Into Theory" (Deborah Cameron); "Applied Linguistics as Evaluation of Theory and…