Based on a model developed by Brown and Levinson (1978), this thesis examines one feature underlying appropriate language use--politeness--as it affects the discourse of native English speakers in three situations. The three situations and speakers involved are: (1) British speakers in a British public library, (2) American speakers in an American…

Existing literature on pronunciation instruction in English as a second language is reviewed, revealing that significant attention to the improvement of American English pronunciation among foreign students has been lacking. For the teacher's benefit, an analysis of basic phonetics is presented, laying a foundation for understanding pronunciation…

A project concerning standard English acquisition among college students speaking nonstandard English is reported. A review of literature revealed that nonstandard forms of English are problematic, that few solutions to these problems exist, and that educators suggest comparative/contrastive instruction or instruction in proofreading to teach…