Surveys research on role of audience in discourse in a series of related disciplines, including cognitive psychology, composition, speech communication, rhetoric, and philosophy. Concludes that writing teachers can achieve a sophisticated, complex understanding of nature and role of audience in written discourse only if they are aware of both…

This article discusses: (1) evolution of the concept of selective underachievement in reading; (2) evidence that reading disorders are linked to written language and speech problems; and (3) anatomical, physiological, and biochemical aspects of brain research. Specialized medical instruments do not yet replace good clinical observation for…

An approach to the teaching of composition undertaken by the University of South Carolina writing laboratory is described in which the objective is to educate students and teachers in the composition process and to discover more about how writing is learned. Focus is on helping people learn to think. (LBH)

The back-to-basics movement and arguments by its proponents are examined with emphasis on proficiency in writing skills. Composition course requirements are discussed along with the need of instructors to teach semantic and logical skills. (LBH)

Mary S. Erbaugh has compiled this volume to examine the so-called "ideographic myth" from a variety of perspectives. Through this multidisciplinary collection of articles, we learn how the myth has come about, what sort of theory and empirical evidence have been generated to refute it, and how this myth has stubbornly persisted to hamper progress…

The Louisiana Literacy Profile has three parts: Teacher's Guide, the Manual, and the Pupil Record Sheet. The teacher's guide for the Louisiana Literacy Profile for Grades K-3 presents the background of the profile, identifies the purpose of the profile, outlines the components of the profile and gives a rationale for each of the components. The…

This review of the historical literature in language development focuses on the characteristics and development of written language, noting that since writing was considered a school function associated with prescribed sequential instruction, few investigations were conducted during the stages of initial growth in writing competency. Also noted is…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated the efficacy of a referential communication task for teaching written language skills to elementary school-aged children with learning disabilities. Participants included five dyads, each consisting of one child with a learning disability and one child with typical language…

The purpose of this "Written Language Developmental Continuum" brochure for second through fifth grades is to provide helpful information for parents, teachers, and other adults as they work with young children to advance and refine written language (writing) competence. The brochure is intended to be a useful tool for assessing…

Excerpt from a research report supported by a Regional English Language Centre fellowship. (DD)

Argues that reading is a system of recoding, not decoding, progressing from a graphic code to an oral code. Maintains that the important aspect of reading lies in obtaining meaning, not in the recoding process. (RW)

Special issue devoted to teaching Level II French. (DS)