Suggests that "they" is becoming accepted as a common gender pronoun referring to both plural and singular nouns. (DD)

Asks pointed questions about English teachers' motives for teaching grammar and usage. Discusses what "usage" is; what "grammar" is; what "standard English" is; and what teachers of grammar and usage hope to accomplish by their teaching. Discusses the consequences of these realities for teachers. (RS)

Considers multilingualism among a group of ex-hunter gatherers, the Penans of Brunei. Findings suggest the language situation of the Penans is quite different from their neighbors and from other coastal-dwelling Bruneians. Explains underlying reasons of Penans' attitudes, as well as knowledge and patterns of language use among the Penans.…

Notes that words such as "can" and "may" are routinely interchanged in casual conversation and professional writing and broadcasting. Proposes that because journalism students are likely to be supervised by people who care about standards, they should make the distinctions between such words. Explains why 10 pairs of words need…

Notes that using words effectively and creatively make for interesting reading. Explains 19 oxymorons scholastic journalists might use. Proposes that some students may use oxymorons to try to make sense out of the strange world of words that are used for communication. (PM)

Proposes that because student journalists and professional mass communicators put their words on public display, they cannot afford to take risks with being misunderstood. Argues for making word distinctions that are as precise as possible. Explains 10 commonly interchanged word pairs. (PM)

Investigates the comprehension of combined concepts (such as "peeled apple") in discourse through four experiments by having people verify features that were true of the phrase. Discusses experiments and results. Argues against a compositional model of conceptual combination in which both the modifier and head noun are accessed…

Contends that though words evolve in their usage and meaning over time, few words in the business language have changed as much as the term "win-win." Explains that once confined to literature on conflict management, the term has been co-opted in the trade press and used incorrectly in place of the term "compromise." Describes…

Discusses how the language that teachers use to describe technology influences the choices they make in this area. Highlights include the power of metaphors; metaphors and educational technology; and a study of teachers enrolled in a Masters program that examined their attitudes toward technology in general as well as their use of metaphors.…

Presents an interview with Noam Chomsky. Discusses his positions on social construction, paradigm shifts, feminist scholarship, teaching, ideology, propaganda, and indoctrination. (RS)

Presents a biographical sketch of S. I. Hayakawa and the results of a recent interview with him over the impact of his writing. (KEH)

Summarizes the discussions and conclusions of the 1988 Conference on College Composition and Communication Research Network workshop. Suggests issues that should be addressed by the group in future meetings. (RAE)

Investigates several linguistic components (verbal immediacy, uncertainty, pronoun use, and article use) as indicators of interaction involvement. Finds that highly involved communicators use more immediate language, speak with greater certainty, and use more relational pronoun references than their less involved counterparts. (MM)

Examines Noam Chomsky's (1957) discussion of "grammaticalness" and the role of linguistics in the "correct" way of speaking and writing. It is argued that the concern of linguistics with the tools of grammar has resulted in confusion, with the tools becoming mixed up with the actual language, thereby becoming the central…

Evaluates two hypotheses that argue that the Spanish demonstrative verbs "aqui" and "aca" can alternate in some contexts. The results of a quantitative study of Venezuelan Spanish show that the delimination hypothesis, which states that the place denoted by "aqui" is less limited and defined than the place denoted by "aca," is valid. (29…