Reports results of four experiments in which undergraduate students rated the degree of condemnation in critical remarks. Shows that ironic criticism in many cases is used to enhance rather than to dilute condemnation. Notes significant implications for both pragmatic and processing theories of verbal irony. (SR)

Explores arguments around critical-discourse analysis (CDA) and suggests that neither proponents nor critics of CDA have fully come to terms with the implications of what it means to acquire discourse. (Author/VWL)

Finds that managers were more likely to recommend that environmental remediation proposals receive priority for funding when they read proposals written in candid language than when they read proposals written in legally defensible language. Shows that threats and a negative tone are highly persuasive in internal environmental compliance reports.…

Tests the assumption that technical writers and editors assume readers are generally helped when nominalizations and the weak verbs that accompany them are replaced with the verb form of the nominalization. Indicates that denominalized text is most effective in helping native speakers focus on more important information, but for nonnative…

Discusses "January Morning," a poem of William Carlos Williams, wherein the 15 sections come in no apparent order and are "unparallel" (varied in content, tone, length, etc.). Finds the language colloquial and conversational, with casual notation. States the poem, with its free format, can be used successfully in college poetry…

Recounts historical uses of wordplay. Discusses how wordplay has been used in writing in the past and in the present. Describes efforts to create the first dictionary of wordplay. Presents 15 basic wordplay terms and around 30 more additional wordplay terms, giving examples of each. (SG)

Analyzed article use in Spanish-speaking children with specific language impairment who are learning English as a Second Language. The surface hypothesis account of specific language impairment was evaluated in relation to the use of articles in these children. Language samples were obtained from 15 Spanish-speaking children with language…

Urges education to help students learn through conceptual thinking. States that the first step must be to teach the subtleties of words--without a command of the language, important discriminations can be confused. Asserts that if students are to think well conceptually, surface language must dissolve, and alternative ways to communicate must be…

Analyzes the discourse of radio personality Rush Limbaugh, pointing out that he uses the following rhetorical strategies to deliver his political message: anecdotes, stories, and metaphors; double bind; contingency; rapport; authority; humor; emotional words; pacing; questions; missing words; and absolutes. (PA)

Argues that, for writers of color at all ages, there is always a conflict--a standard, literary language is in constant conflict with the language that carries a nation's languages, dialects, and cultures. (RS)

Factors responsible for the language policy of the Catholic Church include the need for uniformity and integrity of doctrine and the need for the worshipping community to have access to the meaning of the words of the liturgy. At times, liturgical theology and political needs of the church have promoted the need for uniformity over the need for…

Examines the language of the underworld, a language that includes slang spoken in prisons. This language functions not so much as a secret code whose primary purpose is to deceive but as a means by which members share an identity. Such speech fosters group solidarity, mutual recognition, prestige, and a sense of exclusiveness. (25 references) (CK)

Presents three studies that provide a test of gender-as-culture, or "two cultures," hypothesis proposed by Maltz and Borker (1982) to explain male/female differences in language use. Finds that gender preferences for language use among undergraduate students function in ways that are consistent with stylistic preferences that distinguish national…

Structured interviews were conducted with bilingual educators in Southern New Mexico/West Texas. to determine these professionals' attitudes toward Spanish and English and to identify their public and private uses of both languages. Results indicate that while the educators continue to hold Spanish in high regard, their use in both public and…

The six chapters of this issue consider how language shapes the meaning of social policies and programs that are evaluated. Offers interdisciplinary perspectives on these language issues and highlights the practical issues involved in language function in evaluation. (SLD)