Sex differences in verbal family interactions were investigated in a group of 79 adolescents and parents from normal and psychiatric settings. Individual speech in interactions was observed and scored using the Constraining and Enabling Coding System. Findings showed strikingly higher levels of cognitive enabling speeches expressed by fathers and…

Describes two studies of word meaning acquisition among children. Concludes that (1) even very young children can learn new words and their meanings on basis of linguistic expressions and in absence of direct experience with referents, and (2) that particular forms of discourse (e.g., narrative and dialogue) can render new meanings more accessible…

Two speech perception experiments were conducted with 12 normally hearing adults using a modified speech tracking procedure to determine the effects of controlling connected discourse materials and the effects of specific prompting techniques on tracking rate and subjects' responses. Results showed higher tracking rates for controlled materials.…

Forty stutterers and forty nonstutterers in Japan were tested for susceptibility to delayed auditory feedback while reading passages under amplified delay conditions. Susceptibility was higher for stutterers than nonstutterers and for nonstuttering men than nonstuttering women. Stutterers appeared to rely on auditory feedback for speech control…

Reports on a study that investigated the quantity, quality, and distribution of talk generated by the use of a computer program when working with a class of six and seven-year-old children. Outlines practical implications for the teacher when using computers to generate talk in the classroom. (ARH)

Examined the types of comments made by 12 mothers to their prelinguistic children (between 10 and 14 months of age) in the communication-specific setting of book reading. Found the degree of illustration to have important effects on the types of comments made by mothers to their children. (SKC)

Mothers' speech directed to their children (N=61) from three groups --nonretarded, Down Syndrome, and language-impaired--was examined to evaluate the ways mothers adjust their speech to the child's developmental condition and linguistic competency. Mothers showed differences in mean length of utterance, use of total imperatives, evaluative…

Provides new examples of doublespeak (use of language with the intent to obscure or deceive) from the Canadian Sampler and suggests that language arts teachers and teachers of writing can help reduce instances of doublespeak by teaching students to see through doublespeak and to write clearly. (JC)

Suggests that business communication students can improve their management and communications skills by forming teams and playing the roles of corporate employees, including holding stockholders' meetings, drawing up reports, discussing new products, and in general honing their professional appearance and conduct. (JC)

In general, because of varying federal and state legislation and a paucity of court decisions, the law governing the recording of conversations is in considerable flux. School personnel desiring to record conversations in school without the consent or knowledge of all parties involved must proceed with considerable caution. (Author)

Indicates that communicator gender and cultural ancestry interacted to influence the intensity of language chosen. Reveals that men of Chinese and Japanese ancestry produced significantly more intense messages than did their female counterparts, while no significant differences were apparent between the messages produced by Caucasian men and…

Replicates the findings of earlier examinations of relationship disengagement. Extends the range of variables pertinent to strategy selection by evaluating the role of network overlap, partner desirability, trust, and dyadic adjustment. Finds that both relational variables and tactics were associated with consequences of disengagement. (JD)

Discusses how Type-Token Ratios (TTRs) have been used in a variety of research efforts in speech communication, including studies of the interactions between source credibility, motivation, cognitive states, and context with language use. Describes the two versions of a TTR computation program that are available in BASIC. Presents sources…

Discusses the sources of information in oral language. Uses converging evidence from prosody, pausing, structural and semantic parallelism, and stylistic analysis to argue for a series of hypotheses about the units that organize the construction of narrative discourse. Provides examples and appendixes. (JD)

Surveyed organizational trainers about their background and job responsibilities. Concluded that, since a large number of trainers teach communication skills, college curricula for communication majors should include industrial training as a career option. (PD)