Four methods used in trial examinations in oral English for the Certificate of Secondary Education in England are described, and the assessment system and rating scales are discussed. The four methods are: 1. Reading Aloud, 2. Prepared Talk, 3. Private Conversation about a Visual Stimlus, and 4. Group Discussion. The aim of all the tests is to…

One hundred and ten college students, placed in 22 problem solving discussion groups, interacted for three fifty minute periods each. Three trained observers systematically recorded the interaction. Group members were classified as being task or socio-emotionally oriented and the functional leader in each group was identified by role category.…

The essays published in this collection were written in response to the basic question, "To what extent is the language of politics/advertising/psychotherapy/education/bureaucracy/etc. facilitating or impeding our chances of survival?" The general topic here is the contemporary use of language and the semantic environment in America, especially in…

In this study, the author seeks to demonstrate that Swedish is unique in its avoidance of the pronouns of address, extreme in its use of impersonal questions and circumscriptions, and that such language usage is directly related to the perceived relationship of social status, as explicitly and implicitly expressed by informants. The author also…

The verbal discourse of Yakima children was examined. Conversations with nine Yakima and nine non-Indian children, ranging in age from 3 years 10 months to 5 years 11 months, were tape recorded. Four of the non-Indian children lived on the Yakima Reservation and attended the same preschool program as the Yakima children; the other five lived in…

Intensive studies of children's miscues in oral reading were conducted from 1965 through 1974 by researchers at Wayne State University. This volume contains the concepts and assumptions underlying that research, the basic research design, the complex nature and function of the Goodman Taxonomy of Oral Reading Miscues, the findings of the research,…

Factor analysis accounts for most of the variance in adult ratings of concepts with adjectives. Affective reactions are present in young infants, but still to be explored is how the stable adult factor structure develops from these reactions. Three questions are investigated in this study: (1) is this factor structure present in 3- and…

This study is one of a number of investigations undertaken to prepare the groundwork for the introduction of a language learning system for adults. The language material to be learned will be organized into units and a learner will be awarded a specified number of credits on completion of each unit. The contents are to be defined with reference to…

In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to teachers' classroom language as a variable in the formal learning process. The language used in class by teachers assumes additional importance in formal second language learning situations, where the target language as used by the teacher is not only the means for conveying content, but also…

Examines the role of "routines" and grammatical patterns in first and second language acquisition by children and adults, specifically with regard to syntactic structures. (Author/AM)

This paper first explores the treatment of women in materials in current use for English as a second language (ESL) and then discusses English words labelled as prejudicial against women (e.g., generic "he"). Changes are suggested for reducing the bias in the portrayal of women in ESL materials. (CFM)

Discusses the progress in the number of innovations and neutralizations in the pronominal system of Warlpiri, an aboriginal language spoken in central Australia. The changes are analyzed by age-group usage, and patterns of the changes are suggested. Part of a sample interview in presented. (Author/LMO)

A semantic-relatedness test and a cloze-type/sentence-completion test compared meanings ascribed to spatial prepositions by adult native English and advanced English-as-a-second-language speakers. Non-native speakers differed from native speakers in the semantic boundaries ascribed to the words, with the differences deriving from weighting…

Compares the use and maintenance of the Quechua language in a bilingual and nonbilingual education school and community. Findings indicate a significant change in teacher-pupil language use, an improvement in pupil participation in the bilingual school, and an improved attitude among the community members regarding the value of their language.…

Surveys the linguistic and social situation along the French-Dutch language boundary in Belgium. Based on a series of interviews and a questionnaire used with senior secondary school students in seven towns in or near the language boundary, the statistical analysis shows the limited extent of bilingualism in this area. (Author/LMO)