Examines the timing of partners' talk in mother-infant engagements over infant age to determine whether variations occur in the incidence of the alternating mode. Findings reflect the facilitative effects of covocalization in preverbal infants and the need for the alternating mode with older infants. (31 references) (Author/CK)

Argues that "information structure management" is an important and problematic part of the competence sought by nonnative speakers, particularly for goal-related discourse types where clarity and argumentative power play a role. Simulated negotiation material is used to demonstrate how certain nonnative structures hamper the…

Uses a discursive perspective to study the role of emotion in adults' mathematical thinking. Considers emotion to be distinct from thinking, but not separate from it. Adopts a provisional characterization of affect and emotion as "charges" on ideas. Uses the idea of positioning in social practices to analyze the context of a person's…

Discusses whether linguistics can meet the challenge of accounting to the general public for the practices and beliefs of lawyers and other professionals. The article emphasizes that members of the professions, such as lawyers, doctors, and psychiatrists, are judged by their interaction with processes having real world outcomes, e.g., trials and…

Reports on two studies of the similarities and differences in communicative style between Japanese- and English-speaking parents. Findings reveal that Japanese mothers pay considerable attention to their children's narratives and facilitate frequent turn exchanges, whereas English-speaking mothers allow their children to take long monologic turns…

Argues the need for an updated and explicit description of language teaching areas generated with reference to a detailed model of communicative competence. Describes two existing models of communicative competence and proposes a pedagogically motivated construct, which includes discourse, linguistic, actional, sociocultural and strategic…

Analyzes childrens' (ages 10-12) narratives to show how the stories contribute to children's ongoing construction of knowledge and identity. Argues that children's use of reported speech drives the referential and evaluative functions of their stories and that their reproduction and framing of others' and their own voices enables them to reflect…

Examines the patterns found in repair-work behavior (e.g., apologies, excuses) in Austrian German as they relate to situational variables and cultural themes, using data collected from university students during closed role-play situations. Findings reveal a complex interplay of situational variables informing the repair-work behavior. (46…

A study analyzed the verbatim transcription of a videotaped literacy lesson in a heterogeneous middle-school urban classroom. Ways students participated in the literary discourse and teacher practices that supported students' participation are described. Findings indicate students with disabilities could acquire the discourse practices needed for…

Describes how improving mathematical arguments improves classroom discourse through a classroom activity. (YDS)

Describes an attempt to make room for the subject corpus linguistics in an already packed English language major undergraduate program. Describes the rationale for bringing together two existing subjects--information technology and discourse analysis--to more systematically and meaningfully introduce students to corpus-based language study in…

Examines the puzzlement processes of Exploratory practice (EP) to shed light on the interactive workings of an EP group, and in particular the threats to sustainability that emerged. Reports a discourse analytic inquiry into the nature of the decisions taken and the decision-making process employed at the EP group meetings at a professional…

Presents a discourse analysis of contributions to an online interactive discussion forum of a graduate-level education course on discourse in classrooms. Examines content of postings over the course to describe participants' emerging perspectives on the role of classroom and school discourse in shaping student identity, the role of discourse in…

Examples from upper primary classrooms in Scotland and Jamaica demonstrate the subtle ways in which teachers support or restrict the classroom use of community languages (Scots and Patwa) through their broad or narrow implementation of language policy. The metaphor of fractals, derived from complexity theory, can form a sensitive and appropriate…

Examines a number of language-related discourses about students'"problems" engaging higher education at a historically black South African university. These dominant discourses are then linked to Street's "autonomous" model of literacy and Rampton's "autonomous" model of applied linguistics in order to interrogate…