Proposes an argumentation-based method for information retrieval that involves representing a scholarly article by means of rhetorical structure rather than by a semantic representation of content. Topics addressed include problems with indexing practices, the argumentative nature of articles, rhetoric as an information categorizing schema, and…

A cued recall study and a semantic verification study with individuals with mental retardation (n=93) found that increasing the degree to which the words in sentences were semantically related increased subjects' ability to utilize contextual information in sentences to essentially normal levels. (Author/DB)

Analyzes attributes of symbols and identifies the need for a suitable management system for retrieving images from a database. A classification structure that incorporates graphic, semantic, and bibliographic dimensions is described; experiments with describing, sorting, and drawing symbols are reviewed; and future work on a database management…

Reports preliminary results of a research project that investigated the effectiveness of a new technique for information retrieval interfaces called colinked descriptors, based on the concept of cocited references in the field of bibliometrics. Examples of colinked descriptors from the "Thesaurus of ERIC Descriptors" are presented.…

Several examples of genre analysis are examined to identify criteria employed for the identification of textual boundaries. The conclusion is that there are nonlinguistic reasons for generic staging in texts and that the search for structural divisions is a search for cognitive boundaries in terms of convention, appropriacy, and content. (42…

Two children (ages four and five) with word-finding deficits characterized largely by semantic substitutions participated in a treatment involving phonological information about target words. Treatment resulted in reduction not only of occasional phonological word-finding substitutions but also of the large number of semantic word-finding…

Language teachers are encouraged to find innovative ways to teach vocabulary, particularly illustrating the relationships between words and spatial and temporal relationships in meaning. The concept of the teachable moment is also discussed briefly. (MSE)

Twenty individuals (ages 8-18) with mental retardation and 20 controls matched for nonverbal mental age were assessed on receptive language level and nonverbal cognitive functioning. Results indicate that the nondisabled group placed less emphasis on the formal, sequential properties of language and more on semantic, conceptual properties.…

A study explored the ability of children to comprehend expressions of uncertainty in varying degrees (e.g., "not likely, possible, probable"). Subjects were 42 French students aged approximately 9, 12, and 15. Results, including age and gender differences, and implications for classroom communication are discussed. (MSE)

Discusses the results of a project to identify the kinds of verbs used in citations in academic papers as a basis for developing teaching materials for non-native-speaker students who need to read or write academic papers. (19 references) (GLR)

Some preliminary observations relating to problems of the semiotic mediation of reality through linguistic tools are presented and discussed in light of the experiences of 12- to 13-year-old Swedish students interpreting a table of postage rates. Learning to use such a tool is a genuinely social phenomenon. (SLD)

Raises the issue of objectivity in the dissemination of information, particularly in places where mass media, rather than other political, religious, or educational institutions dominate. Considers the semantic difficulties related to the ways in which numbers and quantitative categories are used. (DMM)

Describes the Portable AI Lab, a computing environment containing artificial intelligence (AI) tools, examples, and documentation for use with university AI courses. Two modules of the lab are highlighted: the automated theorem proving module and the natural language processing module, which includes augmented transition networks. (23 references)…

The effects of 3 factors with reputed control over the word-order options allowed by English grammar (animacy, word length, and prosody) were studied in recall and judgment tasks performed by 850 undergraduates in 7 experiments. Findings suggest a preeminent role of conceptual factors in word order. (SLD)

Mildly retarded adolescents (N=33) were assessed on the nature of the memory representation that underlies ability to remember single sentences. The cued recall procedure reflected a difference in the degree to which mentally retarded and nonretarded individuals construct sentence representations that more precisely specify sentence meaning…