Examines diaries kept by 8 adults (born between 1856 and 1876) over a 70-year period of their lives. Analyzes the complexity of the narrative structure and the cohesion of the text. Finds that the diarists' narratives became structurally more complex across the life span, although they became less cohesive as ambiguous anaphors increased. (KEH)

Examines the Kingman Report (Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Teaching of English Language, HMSO, 1988). Argues that because the committee failed to address the question of "what is English for," its findings and recommendations lack credibility. (MM)

Analysis of the discourse of eight- and nine-year-old children with emotional disturbances as compared with that of non-emotionally disturbed peers found significant differences between the groups. The analysis focused on mean length of utterances and discourse error patterns. (MSE)

Traces the different historical senses of the term literacy to see why it was chosen for generalization. Examines the semantic aspects of the term as currently used in three cases--scientific literacy, visual literacy, and cultural literacy. Discusses evaluative and analytic conceptions of literacy. (KEH)

Explored young children's concepts of the functions of writing in community contexts. Twenty kindergarten children responded to three videotaped vignettes depicting people writing in community settings. The children were able to identify a range of writing functions. They also valued writing and described the negative consequences likely to occur…

Examines "nukespeak," the use of metaphor, euphemism, technical jargon, and acronyms to portray nuclear concepts in a neutral or positive way. Identifies two nukespeak strategies: domestication and bureaucratization. Uses two cases of nukespeak strategy by Ronald Reagan to illustrate the implications of nukespeak for the audience. (MM)

Argues against the belief that a spoken or written text refers to a universal reality independent of language. Emphasizes that (1) students need to learn that facts do not speak for themselves but reflect the beliefs of the speaker/writer; and (2) interpretation is never impartial. (MM)

Examines instructional interaction in kindergarten, third, and fifth grade classrooms chosen for their academic success with Hispanic students. Looks at instructional discourse and language use. Confirms previous findings about the possibility of successful bilingual instruction. (DE)

Examines the Kingman Report (Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Teaching of English Language, HMSO, 1988). Finds that an analysis of the report shows it to abound in confusions and omissions. (MM)

Responses to a questionnaire regarding gender bias in language revealed that members of a local chapter of National Organization for Women and graduate students in psychology were more likely to adopt a new gender-neutral pronoun than were graduate students in English and medicine, and faculty. (Author/BJV)

Data are presented on some aspects of metalinguistic awareness in Dutch adults who emigrated to Australia at least 25 years ago. The findings show that the migrants do not differ significantly from a control group in the Netherlands, suggesting that first-language metalinguistic skills are extremely resistant to attrition. (Contains nine…

Language revival, language revitalization, and language reversal are argued to constitute three separate phenomena within language regenesis. A comparison of case studies from 14 countries--all involving group behavior related to the increased use of dead, dying, or neglected languages--is used to establish a clear and common terminology for these…

It is argued that quantitative research methods used alone often fail to adequately capture the complexities of spoken interaction; the inclusion of qualitative analysis can produce a greater insight into the functions of different interactive strategies and provides a valuable additional perspective to research into gender differences. (Contains…

Examines the phenomenon of language contact and recent trends in linguistic contact research, which focuses on language use, language users, and language spheres. Also discusses the role of linguistic and cultural conflicts in language contact situations. (13 references) (MDM)

Although Spanish mood has been taught through a framework of categorical rules, recently attempts have been made to clarify the exact nature of certain rules and to better understand the patterns of rule variability that exist outside the classroom. This article examines the intersection of mood with notions such as habituality, general truths,…