Highlights some of the foci that emerged from the Speech Communication Association's 1996 summer conference on graduate education in communication. Discusses communication and the higher education scene; the job market; preparing future faculty; recruitment, retention, and diversity; quality of programs; and other issues. (SR)

Lexical diversity of 53 children with specific language impairment (SLI) (ages 3-7) was compared to 91 typical peers and younger children matched for mean length of utterance in words (MLUw). Older subgroups showed higher lexical diversity. At lower MLUw levels, children with SLI showed higher diversity than the younger children. (Contains…

This article describes prelinguistic vocal development in two prelingually deaf children who received multi-channel cochlear implants at 10 and 28 months. The older child made rapid progress in vocal development, while the other showed slower progress Use of short periods of prelinguistic input for stimulating vocal development is discussed.…

Explores psycholinguistic processes underlying second language (L2) self-repair behavior by means of analyzing the timing of various types of self-corrections found in the speech of 30 Hungarian speakers of English at three proficiency levels. Discusses relevance of timing data for existing models of speech monitoring and examines how level of…

Investigates both speech and speaker perceptions through tape-recorded conversations between summer study abroad students and their French hosts, as well as through interviews and observations. Findings indicate that natives and nonnatives alike relied heavily on classroom roles and discourse structures to manage their interactions, calling into…

An error analysis of the word recognition responses of 20 adult cochlear implant users and 19 typical listeners was conducted to determine the types of partial information used when they identified spoken words under auditory-alone and audiovisual conditions. Results indicate there were no significant interactions with hearing status. (Contains…

A response is presented to commentaries (EC 232 375-377) on two papers (EC 232 373 and EC 232 374), focusing on research methodology on stuttering, the impact of improving intrajudge and interjudge agreement, the importance of studying stuttering as a private experience rather than an acoustical event, and speakers' experience of loss of control…

Examines Kean College's approaches to establishing principles, policies, and procedures which have led to a faculty-supported assessment program. Summarizes how faculty concerns were considered and policies were reviewed and established. Describes the faculty-centered organizational structure. (KEH)

Examines the role and impact of speech communication professional associations on faculty development and career enhancement. (MG)

Argues for a multifocused divisional unit versus the traditional single discipline communication department for institutions that are generally small (6 to 10 thousand students) and where enrollments overall have leveled off for both the institution and department. (KEH)

Examines the rhetorical function of the modern American jeremiad as a means to restore social harmony in a time of crisis. Analyzes Robert F. Kennedy's response to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Reveals the strengths and limitations of the jeremiad as a response to social crisis. (SR)

Interviews with 13 female and 7 male retirees in the West Midlands, England, aged 60-70 plus, ascertained their self-perceived reading, writing, oral communication, and computation skills. It was concluded that basic skills cannot be defined as an identifiable set of coping skills, but must be based on self-perceived requirements within an…

Identifies how Americans viewed twentieth-century wars metaphorically as extensions of earlier frontier experience. Traces "social functions" of those metaphors which have become, from an ethical perspective, tragic not only because of their false analogies but also for their lack of worth when compared to other, more responsible…

Writing seminars designed for the business community reveal that this population is motivated and willing to attack problems of logic, organization, and coherence. The approach used includes instruction in the basic principles of clarity in writing and a required oral presentation about a piece of company writing needing revision. (MSE)

The article describes methods used to bring a seven-year-old boy with severe auditory and visual impairments and no communication skills to a level of oral communication within one year. The manual, graphic, and oral-aural strategies used are described. (Author/DB)