One way in which larger social conflicts influence classroom conversations is described. The analysis of linguistic clues uncovers conflict at an implicit level between worker-class White teachers and lower-class African-American students. A level of interactional activity is described in which speakers implicitly position themselves with respect…

Focusing on Brunei, issues of bilingualism and the establishment of stable bilingualism are addressed. Forces influencing bilingual policy, the language-identity issue, need for assessment of community language status, and perceptions regarding education are discussed. Careful monitoring of Brunei's policy is suggested. (Contains 33 references.)…

Discusses some of the theoretical issues underlying the study of Chinese dialects, reviews the historical background within which the dialects were formed, and reviews some ongoing studies that appear promising for increasing understanding of how dialects are structured and how they are changing. (CB)

Presents an outline for a half-day seminar on gender differences in workplace communication, which can be modified for a class lecture/workshop in a graduate management communication or an undergraduate business communication course. Appends a role-play activity for use in the seminar. (SR)

A brief survey of existing contributions about language by economists is presented. An explanation is given of the fundamental economic reasoning on which minority language use can be modeled, and the presentation of a model of minority language use incorporating such aspects as goods, wage rates, prices, and the labor market is described.…

Discusses ways business communication instructors can pave the way for students' success in indirect writing assignments by following three preliminary steps: discuss word choice; discuss typical negative situations; and review the special requirements of indirect writing. (RS)

Explores the attempt to deal instructionally with the challenges resulting from the various uses of language and modes of discourse among students and the hope of reconciling these ways with the typical classroom language demands of schools. Shows how this challenge was faced in one classroom setting. (HB)

It is argued that more attention should be paid to first-year graduate students' specific difficulties with literary texts and their linguistic techniques that deviate from standard usage. An instructional model is proposed, with examples appended. (Contains 16 references.) (LB)

Describes and categorizes patterns we construct between texts of different kinds (patterns of intertextuality). Whether the principles of intertextuality can be applied to other sorts of semiotic "texts" such as computer graphics and hypermedia is raised as a crucial question for the future of educational research. (Contains 48…

The development of language conditions in Helsinki, including its origins in a Swedish-speaking area, makes it possible to observe many processes of sociolinguistic interest. Helsinki's colloquial Finnish has served as a model for the evolution of colloquial Finnish throughout the country. (Contains eight references.) (Author/LB)

Results are presented on the grammar of spoken Brazilian Portuguese, with focus on the syntactic boundaries of the main constituents of an utterance. Major differences are found both in the distribution of filling by syntactic adjuncts versus discourse elements and in the susceptibility of different syntactic boundaries to be filled. (Contains 33…

Contends that there are far more terms associated with war and conflict than terms about peace in the English language. Asserts that this circumstance is both a product of and a contribution to national values. Recommends using more emotional words and speech to talk about peace. (CFR)

Discusses ways that language misrepresents nature, pointing out that frequently used metaphors and problematic language usage provide limited conceptual and emotional understanding of the natural world and contribute to a degraded view of nature. Discusses strategies for changing language as the first step in changing attitudes toward nature. (LP)

Finds in the "Lettres" (1895-98) of Marichette (a Franco-Acadian woman) graphic evidence of the effects of language contact with the socially and economically dominant English on her Franco-Acadian dialect. Explores her penchant for code-switching and relates this aspect of the writer's style to her political commentary. (SR)

This study investigated the usefulness of a test designed to explore speaker awareness of linguistic constraints on the variable omission of "ne" by native speakers of French and learners of French as a second language. Results suggest speakers do have awareness of some constraints and that some advanced nonnative learners have a particular…