This paper proposes a range of improvements to international science communication. It pictures the contemporary language situation in international scientific communication as well as its recent history with the rise of English as its most notable feature and offers explanations for this development. It discusses in which sciences languages other…

This paper revisits the question of why pragmatics should be taught in the foreign language classroom and demonstrates how this can be achieved effectively with materials informed by conversation analysis (CA). Since findings in CA describe systematic action sequences underlying verbal activities that display cross-cultural variation, they capture…

Using the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale formulated by G. M. Chen and Starosta, the intercultural sensitivity of English major students, non-English major students, and multinational employees in China were investigated. In this study, intercultural sensitivity was defined as consisting of interaction engagement, interaction confidence, respect…

This paper investigates intercultural communication and its significance to higher education. The paper briefly discusses culture, subculture and the meeting of cultures. It also provides a brief survey of developments in intercultural communication research. With reference to New Zealand, the paper further points to some limitations of…

As teachers in German vocational education, the authors have a considerable interest in and responsibility for developing intercultural business skills, which are increasingly vital for successful management across cultures. Special international competence may help trainees find attractive jobs and may also strengthen their companies' position on…

The education of pragmatics is necessary and important in our globalized world. The reason is that English is currently used by people in the world for interaction and communication with each other in order to do international trade or participate in the academic conferences (McKay, 2002). For avoiding miscommunication caused by cultural…

One film widely recommended as an instructional resource for communication courses is "Children of a Lesser God," the 1986 movie starring Marlee Matlin and William Hurt. In this film, which can serve as a case study, James Leeds, a talented young teacher in a school for the deaf, falls in love with Sarah Norman, a graduate of the school…

This state-of-the-art report presents a series of essays on the topic of diversity. Essays include: (1) "Committing to Diversity" (George L. Mehaffy); (2) "Serving the Community by Serving Our Members" (Michael P. Wolfe); (3) "How Diversity Matters" (Asa G. Hilliard, III); (4) "A Prerequisite to Teaching…

An ethnolinguistic study of eight children (four girls, four boys) in an English nursery school is presented. The study examined the language and social behavior of the 3-year-old children during their initial adjustment to a school environment. All were third-generation British born to families of Pakistani origin, and spoke Mirpuri, vernacular…

This report presents Phase 1 of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) 3-phase Preprimary Project being conducted in 11 to 15 countries. The project spans the years 1987 through 1997. The Preprimary Project has been designed to be conducted in three interrelated phases: Phase 1, a household survey in each…

Managing learning, when associated with communication behavior, has been described as being teacher power strategies that either "cover" the goals set to meet classroom tasks; or use "critical" analysis of power relations between students and teacher. This paper suggests that neither method of classroom management is useful for…

Lessons learned in the development and implementation of an English language training (ELT) project for Indonesian Civil Service workers are discussed. The project, designed to focus on development of English communication skills, was undertaken in cooperation with the state administration agency. Issues and difficulties discussed include:…

Excerpts of the interview with Umberto Eco, a prominent semiotician, by two specialists in Esperanto focused on the role of translation, which paradoxically appears to be essential for the existence of a universal language such as Esperanto. Topics addressed include the perceived conflict between the existence of a "perfect," universal…

An analysis of a televised interview, in Israel, of an actress playing a role in a play is presented as an illustration of politeness marking in modern Israeli Hebrew. The interviewer is well-known as an educated Ashkenazi Jew, the actress a singer well-known for her vocal portrayal of Sephardic Jews, and in this case playing an exaggeratedly…

Audience adaptation is a concept that is heavily stressed in the basic public speaking course. One way to introduce students to a new audience is by using feature film clips as hypothetical examples. Clips heighten student interest without sacrificing academic rigor while allowing observation and evaluation of communication processes in action.…