This booklet is a collection of abstracts, literature reviews, and reports on experiments in the communication field. Ninety abstracts from speech communication literature (1970-1977) are presented under the following categories: communication theory, research methodology, interpersonal communication, rhetorical theory and criticism, persuasion,…

The compositions of sixth, tenth, and twelfth grade students were used to determine whether narrations or arguments of high syntactic complexity were rated higher than narrations or arguments of low syntactic complexity. Selection of the compositions was made in pairs--one of high syntactic complexity and one of low syntactic complexity--each…

This book has been written for those who would improve their reading of prose argumentation through practice in analyzing essays, speeches, and learned articles. Part I, "Structural Rhetoric," sets forth the structural relationship of the parts of an argument. Part II, "Textural Rhetoric," describes alterations in the interior organization of…

Developed for a high school quinmester unit on the language of persuasion, this guide provides the teacher with teaching strategies for a study of the speaker or writer as a persuader, the identification of the logical and psychological tools of persuasion, an examination of the levels of abstraction, the techniques of propaganda, and the…

Reflecting the increasing interest in language by teachers of English, articles in this collection: (1) describe and attempt to justify the exploration of living language as it is actually used--"Learning to Evaluate the Spoken Word" by M. C. Dobson, "Exploring the Language of Persuasion" by Sandra Williams, and "Language at Work" by J. H. G.…

This study focuses on teachers' and business managers' assessment of the importance of communication skills in the business world, specifically whether teachers underestimate or overestimate the importance of these skills and, if so, to what degree. Results of the questionnaire are reported and discussed. (CT)

A group of language class activities use photographs to encourage students to identify, describe, imagine, recount, and persuade in a variety of ways. (MSE)

Considers President Reagan's address to the nation on February 5, 1981, concerning the state of the economy, as a contemporary secular version of the jeremiad, a rhetorical form that has persisted in America since colonial times. Describes Reagan's skillful use of the genre to motivate public response to what he viewed as an economic crisis. (NKA)

Discusses Senator Kennedy's address on "Tolerance and Truth in America," given at Liberty Baptist College in 1983, to propose a "contract" for the public relationship between himself and Jerry Falwell in which each could be more civil toward the other without betraying his constituencies or threatening the other's supporters.…

Explores (l) the role of pre-text in translating ideas into linguistic forms, and (2) the relationship of translating and pre-text in the planning and reviewing process. Suggests four observations worthy of further study concerning the nature and function of pre-text. (NH)

Responds to Barry Brummett's criticism of a previous article by the author suggesting techniques for dealing with fundamentalist Christian students in speech classes. Considers the merits of Brummett's counter proposal and suggests that public speaking courses should not aim to convert absolutist students to relativism but teach them to adapt…

Data from an ethnographic study of an integrated kindergarten suggests that children's disputes are strongly influenced by the activity and role structure of a given event and that variations in how an event is contextualized are linked to the classroom's social structure. (Author/CB)

Presents an analysis of some aspects of conversational phonology by examining the general phonetic resources that are used by speakers of Tyneside (a nonstandard variety of English). This phonological analysis of the interaction of turn-completion takes into account pitch, loudness, and tempo, as well as segmental features. (TR)

Tested the effect of two systematically designed persuasive communications on attitudes toward energy conservation of 85 preservice elementary teachers differing in energy-related developmental advancement. One finding is that two-sided communication was more effective than one-sided communication regardless of level of developmental advancement…

Two persuasive communications were constructed and validated. Validity was tested by verifying the presence of supportive and counterarguments. The one-sided communication was shown to contain only supportive arguments, while the two-sided communication contained both supportive and counterarguments. Implications for instruction are addressed. (JN)