In a recent paper (1977) Levenston and Blum suggested that lexical simplification operates according to universal principles, and that these derive from the individual's semantic competence in his mother tongue. This paper examines the validity of this suggestion by means of a comparative study of lexical simplification in three different…

An observational study described and compared verbal interaction in specific language and learning disability (SLD), educable mentally retarded (EMR), and trainable mentally retarded (TMR) secondary level classrooms. Trained observers used Flanders Interaction Analysis system to obtain data in 46 classes. Most teachers used a direct style with…

Teachers from the Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, completed a black vernacular inservice program during the 1979-80 academic year. This final report of the program was submitted to the superintendent of schools in compliance with a court order and is divided into four sections. The overview summarizes the…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 16 titles deal with the following topics: an examination of inexperienced actors performing the plays of William Shakespeare; an investigation of the philosophies and practices of a summer theatre producer and manager; the…

This study focuses on three areas: (1) mother-child and father-child verbal and nonverbal interactions; (2) racial differences in parent-child interactions, children's self esteem and children's racial attitudes; and (3) relationships between parenting style and children's feelings of self-worth and racial preferences. Subjects were 40 black and…

Using methods employed by Chaikin et al (1974) and Chaikin and Derlega (1978) to determine when tutors are susceptible to expectancy effects and whether expectancies lead to discrimination against low ability students, black undergraduates (N=76) taught a lesson on fire safety at home to a 10-year-old boy. Two black male and two white male…

Papers presented at the Southwest Area Language and Linguistics Workshop (SWALLOW) include both theoretical and practical contributions. First and second language acquisition was studied in terms of its effects on first language, its acquisition in a bilingual classroom, and its assessment. Native American student speeches were examined in terms…

A course in communication skills that is provided to all freshmen dental students at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry is described. The course is based primarily on the human relations training models of Blakeman (1975), Carkhuff (1969), and Egan (1975), and consists of six modules devoted to the skills of structuring, attending,…

A foreign travel program for eighth grade French language students from Shoreham, New York was developed to provide language speaking practice in Quebec, Canada. The program was designed to allow students to spend as much time as possible speaking the language and interacting with the people. The following "survival through speaking"…

The goal of this study was to investigate the nature of classroom climates of acceptance in desegregated schools. Verbal initiations and student friendship choices across race and sex were examined in 41 seventh and eighth grade classrooms in Indianapolis, Indiana. Teachers were also interviewed and completed an attitudinal questionnaire. Factor…

SPEAKING AN ORAL LANGUAGE AND SPEAKING A WRITTEN LANGUAGE INVOLVE DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF LANGUAGE USE WHICH ARE IN TURN RELATED TO DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL METHODS AND DIFFERENT COURSES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT. BECAUSE ORAL SPEECH RELIES ON CONTEXT FOR COMMUNICATION, A COMMON CONTEXT AND POINT OF VIEW IS ASSUMED BY THE SPEAKER TO EXIST BETWEEN THE…

THIS BOOK ABOUT THE FUNCTIONS OF LANGUAGE IN HUMAN LIFE EMPHASIZES LEARNING HOW TO CLASSIFY, DEFINE, AND ANALYZE. FOLLOWING AN EXPLANATION OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ROOTS OF LANGUAGE, CHAPTERS ON ANALYSIS, MEANING, SIGNS, AMBIGUITY, SEMANTIC GROWTH, AND METAPHOR LEAD TO A DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMUNICATIVE FUNCTION OF LANGUAGE,…

Research into teacher nonverbal behavior is needed. Although teachers are usually aware of their verbal behavior, they may be unaware of many nonverbal cues they express through gesture, facial expression, posture, vocal tone, or similar mechanisms. Such nonverbal expressions convey attitudes and impressions which may affect the teaching-learning…

The conference proceedings of scientists specializing in language processes and neurophysiological mechanisms are reported to stimulate a cross-over of interest and research in the central brain phenomena (reception, understanding, retention, integration, formulation, and expression) as they relate to speech and language. Eighteen research reports…

The tendency of modern English and speech teachers to turn away from vital issues has resulted in the present "undistinguished state" of rhetoric teaching and its lack of relevance to life. The proper subject matter of rhetoric is "the thought, opinion, and information revealed in the great, persisting, and unresolved problems of a…