This booklet describes the Urdu writing system, and is part of a series of teaching materials for teaching Urdu. A general introduction outlining the main characteristics of the system is followed by a presentation of the alphabet. Letters symbolizing the same sound are then discussed, followed by the vowels. Non-connectors, or letters not having…

This study investigates the extent to which nonstandard forms of written English create for readers stereotypes of the writer's personality. To determine the extent to which nonstandard writing is apparent to speakers of standard and nonstandard English, and to what extent such writing represents a socioeconomic liability for the writer, two…

This article discusses language planning in the People's Republic of China, and opens by commenting on the difficulty in observing the language planning process in China, particularly in the area of decision-making. A brief history of language planning is provided. Following the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949, a shift took place…

Little is known about grammatical sophistication in the written language of school-age children. This study provides normative data on the occurrence of different complexity levels of major grammatical parameters in written compositions of nine-year-old children. These parameters include productivity of language, correctness of language usage, the…

This 41-item annotated bibliography contains material on all aspects of teaching basic composition at the college level. Most of the references are from journal publications. Approaches both to teaching composition (team-teaching, individualized instruction) and to writing compositions (step by step, paragraph construction) are discussed in the…

The problems which freshmen exhibit in using the written language extend beyond difficulties with mechanics to handicaps in using words to formulate and develop concepts. A linguistic approach to teaching freshman composition involves recognizing every linguistic act as creative and a word as having a history as well as a variety of meanings. In…

The purpose of this study was to analyze differences in children's written questions by means of the theoretical model of transformational-Generative grammar. Eight questions written by children in grades 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 comprised the nucleus of this study. The eight questions were chosen from a larger group of questions and separated into…

Included in this book are sections dealing with: (1) some clinical experiences with poor readers; (2) the history of the letters "H" and "T," the biology of righthandedness, the silent "E," and code vs. meaning; (3) the irregular spelling of English words and differences between vowels and consonants; (4) the silent "E" at the end of words,…

Designed to investigate the understanding of the linguistic form that connects a clause to another clause or another word, the test contains four sections. The students are instructed to read the first part of a sentence and then choose the answer which best completes that sentence. Each multiple choice item contains the correct answer and three…

After discussing the nature and application of the word "semiology" (or semiotics) and briefly reviewing research in semiotics, this article examines the issue of whether or not semiotics can be considered an independent discipline. Available from Les Presses de l'Universite du Quebec, C.P. 250, Succursale N, Montreal, Canada H2X 3M4. (Text is in…

No relation between composition "dialect" and judged quality of the writing was found. (DD)

A description of the lexicological technique of converting from the traditional system of 214 radicals to a new system of 189 radicals under the following headings: elimination, merger, additions, form changes, split. The list of radicals presented here is taken from the Xinhua Zidian (73), currently the most popular dictionary in China. (AMH)

Tests seven stylistic features of formal, persuasive public speeches and published writings of major figures from the last fifty years in an effort to determine if oral language style differs significantly from written language style. (MH)

An 11-year-old's discussion of five school writing assignments sheds light on the composing process and on learning-through-writing. (AA)

Maintains that written work should not be subordinated to oral; the two should be given equal status and treated as supplementary to each other. Presents, with rather full discussion, a number of examples for teaching written work, at both school and university levels. (IFS/WGA)