States that Christian Morgenstern made a fundamental point of semantics clear by making any absolute faith in words ridiculous. Describes other pieces of Morgenstern's poetry, and examines its implications in semantic terms. Points out that Morgenstern ridiculed the assumption that what is said must be sensible, as if the world must obey human…

Suggests that the field of semantics has effectively instructed us not to be manipulated by language but has neglected to emphasize that words do have magical qualities and creative and constructive use can be made of that fact. (TO)

Discusses some of the sexually discriminatory problems encountered and solutions employed by the makers of "The School Dictionary" published in 1972 by the American Heritage Publishing Company. (TO)

Argues that philology, the study of language, can be taught to students only after they have examined the languages of other nations and cues. (RB)

Discusses four types of doublespeak: euphemism, jargon, bureaucratese, and inflated language. Cites examples of the pervasive use of doublespeak in business, politics, and the military. Asserts that to eliminate doublespeak, English teachers should teach respect for language as well as effective use of language. (MM)

Discusses how people bridge chasms of thought with insubstantial but named fictions to make it possible to cross them in imagination. (HOD)

Recounts the efforts of a long-time advocate of E-Prime (English without the verb "to be") to use fewer forms of "to be" when writing, and especially, when speaking, where it is more difficult to monitor oral utterances. Uses a "crispness index" (a semantic equation) to measure language processes. Discusses empirical…

Describes the use in a semantics/linguistics class of rural Midwestern idioms of the past to demonstrate the relationship of the language and the experience it represents. States that, although students do not always appreciate the figures of speech, when they relate the symbols to the referents, they get involved in the message. (PA)

Suggests that understanding your semantic environment begins with recognizing you have no choice about being the center of your universe, that the feelings you have are the single most important part of your life, and that it is about your feelings that you speak, despite whatever else you may think you speak about. (TO)

Describes the role of the semantic therapist in correcting language distortions due to lack of specificity, inaccurate assumptions, and failure to ascribe accurately the characteristics of a person. (RB)

Introduces a theoretical framework applicable to the political and social uses made of humor. Focuses on the uses individuals make of jokes and joking in relation to the constant interchange involved between institutional stability and social change. (FL)

Defines and explains Alfred Korzybski's theories about general semantics and suggests educational applications. (RB)