First results of a survey of English use in 202 Italo-Australian subjects in 46 situations show a widespread shift to English, beginning with younger (first generation) subjects and increasing dramatically among members of the second generation. Italo-Australians' English usage depends more on personal characteristics of speakers than on topic or…

Mental terms in mothers' and their childrens' speech at two and three years were studied to examine relationships between maternal and child use. Nineteen mother and child dyads were videotaped for 1 hour on each of 2 days when children were 2;0 and again for 2 1-hour sessions on separate days when they were 3;0. Mental terms were noted. (JL)

This study examined age differences in the extent to which children infer and use a speaker's interpersonal goal to understand speech acts and to examine age differences in the extent to which children select responses that carry implications appropriate to the speaker's interpersonal goal. (15 references) (JL)

Scholars and teachers are increasingly realizing that language consists of more than the additive nature of learned morphological, syntactical, and lexical items. This paper describes the pragmatic implications of linguistic strings, based on research and interviews with native speakers of American English and standard German. (20 references)…

Because further promotion of the Maori language is needed to prevent it from remaining an endangered language, a national survey was conducted of 225 New Zealand adults' opinions about the language and fostering its instruction. Two-thirds of the respondents supported its place in New Zealand society, but 25 percent supported greater use. (23…

Analyzes the relationships between complimenting strategies associated with male and female language use and evaluations of the effectiveness of written discourse. Finds that use of certain complimenting strategies associated with male and female language use correlate with lower ratings of ideational effectiveness. Illustrates ways that gender is…

Examination of a range of cross-linguistic generalizations leads to the view that grammar is primarily shaped by the entire range of cognitive, social, and interactional factors involved in language use. Specific grammatical phenomena are discussed that support the view that grammatical regularities arise because of certain strategies people use…

In clauses with future meaning in Biblical Hebrew, there are consistent functional differences between clauses with verb-initial word order and clauses with non-verb-initial word order. Verb-initial clauses are associated with future events involving cooperation between the speaker, listener, and God. (16 references) (Author/LB)

Underscores the importance of preserving the Navaho language. Discusses eight stages of linguistic strength and security. Recommends that parents speak Navaho to their children and that English be excluded from particular social interactions, such as social introductions, to create a linguistic bond among Navaho people and maintain cultural…

Addresses problems that arise when literacy education is brought from national and international centers to people whose identity is with local languages and literacies. Local literacies are defined with respect to different languages and writing systems, invented local literacies, and vernacular literacies. (Contains 33 references.) (Author)

This paper illustrates the use of corpus-based analytical techniques to address a range of issues in applied linguistics. This approach provides large databases of naturally occurring discourse, enabling empirical analyses of the actual patterns of use in a language and, when coupled with automatic computational tools, enables analyses of a scope…

A model of language vitality is proposed that is a function of preferences for language choice, percentage of language-minority speakers, and the expectations-based adjustment to the observed change in language vitality. It shows that long-term survival with low demolinguistic figures is possible and suggests policy guidelines for reversing…

In an investigation into communicative behavior, Filipino-American students were studied during two student organization meetings and through subsequent surveys of their backgrounds and sense of ethnicity. Focus is on the communicative norms, notably the constant simultaneous talk. (Contains 28 references.) (Author/LB)

Investigates the double compound that is a feature of the regional French of the langue d'oc and franco-provencal areas. Analysis suggests that, in addition to the temporal and aspectual properties traditionally attributed to this form, the expressive properties of the surcompose regional are central to any description of its function in…

Examines the relationship of instructional designers and content experts and suggests methods to make these relationships more successful, including simplifying language to eliminate jargon; emphasizing the benefits of instructional design involvement; and focusing on interpersonal communication skills. Four sample scripts for instructional…