A model is described for the analysis of information management and cohesion in written discourse. Concepts of discourse analysis are defined, specifically information management, syntax, semantic reference, lexicon, cohesion, and intonation, with examples taken from scholarly publications in psychology, biology, and history. (48 references) (VWL)

Investigates the extent of variation in children's language performance in a picture description task arising from mode (oral or written) versus degree of demand for decontextualization. Finds that children manipulated the wide range of the oral form of the contextualized/decontextualized continuum more skillfully than the written form. Finds no…

Steps aside from conventional ideas about diagrams to examine how they work. Brings to bear ideas from a perceptual psychologist, a communication theorist, and a philosopher. Introduces the papers in this special issue as diagrams for worldmaking. (SR)

Reviews and discusses claims for, and objections to, the literal intelligence of computers and of documents. Topics discussed include contrasts between spoken language and written language; the Turing test, including linguistic responses to questions; the presence or absence of intentionality; and Plato's "Phaedrus" and its concern with…

Using a large database of written text and a simple statistical technique, this study looks at the issue of teaching conditionals and other "if" forms. (four references) (JL)

Looks at the established theory that the verb "toru" in Old Japanese exhibits anomalous spelling. Careful examination of poems in "Kojiki,""Nihon shoki," and "Man'yoshu" shows that there were originally different verbs that later merged into one, "toru." These two verbs had different meanings. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on the rhetorical strategies for written business communication in Mexico. Explains the methods used to collect documents for examination, discusses several of these documents as they reflect Mexico's history and cultural value dimensions, and summarizes principles for designing written business communication for Mexico. (SG)

Takes a look at some of the specific applications of the Chinese system of writing in an attempt to resolve disagreements about the language's relative efficiency. Examines (1) the arrangement of characters in dictionaries and the look-up procedures; and (2) the process of composing and reproducing Chinese texts, including typesetting,…

Investigates the position of adverbial clauses in a subset consisting of 42 texts drawn from 6 text types, 3 from written English and 3 from spoken English. The article identifies factors influencing the position choice for various types of adverbial clauses. Findings indicate that clause length is not a significant positional factor. (nine…

Discusses dilemmas that confront authors who must decide whether to address a relatively restricted audience in their native tongue or compete for a much larger public by either learning more widespread language or relying on translations. Focus is on the issue of free or restricted exchange of texts. What happens when more authors and readers…

Discusses the teaching of Chinese characters in the second language context. To demystify the difficulty of learning characters, a few myths that surround them are examined. (Author/VWL)

Investigates the role of kanji in second language learners' reading comprehension of Japanese text. Explores how two subgroups of Japanese learners, with Chinese and non-Chinese backgrounds, approach text. (Author/VWL)

Reviews research that has been emerging from the availability of corpora on the grammar of spoken English. Presents arguments for the view that spoken and written language utilize the same basic grammatical repertoire, however different their implementations of it are. (Author/VWL)

Investigates the developments of "strengthened" possessives such as "hers" and "hern" (earlier her) through a fresh examination of a substantial number of Middle English texts. While the "s" forms developed in different ways, both resulted in a processing advantage, as they signal to the hearer that no head…

Discusses a written linguistic system, evidenced in medieval mixed-language business texts, that was replaced by Early Modern English. Examines medieval mixed-language business writing from the point of view of suffix mergers, as the lack of language specific suffixes resulted in code-intermediate states. (Author/VWL)