A sample (n=48) of eight-year-olds with specific language impairments is compared with age-matched (n=55) and language matched controls (n=55) on a range of tasks designed to test the interdependence of language and mathematical development. Performance across tasks varies substantially in the SLI group, showing profound deficits in production of…

The dominance of English in particular domains of language use in South Africa, such as higher education and the economy, has led to the fear that other languages may be threatened by an increasing shift to English in all domains, especially among the young. However, this paper reveals the strong vitality of the mother tongues in the intimate…

This qualitative study provides preliminary insight into the role of the first language (L1) when pairs of intermediate-level college learners of French and Spanish are engaged in consciousness-raising, form-focused grammar tasks. Using conversation analysis of audiotaped interactions and stimulated recall sessions, we explored the ways students…

This paper examines differences in mathematics achievement among eighth-grade students using a secondary analysis of the data. The students, who are from Malaysia, had participated in the Trend International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1999. A series of school, home, demographic and socio-economic variables were used to investigate the…

This article examines how immigrant adolescent development is shaped by the cultural and linguistic practice of language brokering. Framed by theories on interdependent/independent developmental scripts, the changing experiences and views of 12 Latino/a children of U.S. immigrants over 5 years were analyzed. It was found that translating is a…

This paper will offer a discussion of the literature concerning multimodality, orchestration and participation related to classroom use of the interactive whiteboard (IWB). Specifically, it will explore the place, or potential use, of the IWB to resource a multimodal approach to teaching and learning, emphasising the complex connections that need…

Despite the Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region) government's determination to implement the "mother tongue education" policy amid strong social resistance one year after the handover, English remains a prestigious language in society. The need for Putonghua (Mandarin/Standard Chinese) is also increasing following ever-expanding…

Semiotics is the scientific study of signs and sign functions. While semiotics has most often focused on human phenomena, it has been suggested that the field should be broadened to include elements of the system of signs from the entire continuum of living reality. Such an approach is to make explanatory in a relatively "universal" way…

This book discusses, in non-technical terms, how language contributes to and expresses discrimination in relation to race/ethnicity, sex, and disability. It provides guidelines and practical suggestions on how to avoid discriminatory language in relation to these areas and is primarily addressed to writers, editors, and public speakers who are…

This paper discusses the theories of Jurgen Habermas, one of the most influential and prolific constructive philosophers of the past quarter century, with the purpose of showing why Habermas' goal to uncover the inherent aspects of language which make possible communication is unattainable. The paper argues that the very self-referentiality…

This paper argues that, while Kenneth Burke may be placed by some writers squarely in either the modern or the postmodern tradition, Burke participates in both but is marginal to each, and thus "beyond" them. The first section briefly traces the outline of Burke's philosophy of rhetoric. With that framework as a backdrop, the second…

Describes techniques employed in public doublespeak and suggests that graffiti is a response to these techniques. (DD)

Discusses six crises of verbal language which are imminent due to our reliance on the mass media and our separation from the phenomenal world. (DD)

Discusses the best known modern theory of argumentation, that of Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca, which follows from classical rhetoric and contains a monological view of argumentation, concentrating on effectiveness with a passive audience. Argues that it is at least a partially incorrect interpretation of the classical rhetorical theory of…

Analyzes the major types of metaphors used in the political news reports of the 1985 U.S.-Soviet summit talk in Geneva. Notes that of the three major metaphors--war, business, and sports--war metaphors were used most frequently, reflecting the tensions between the two countries. (MM)