Discusses the significance of communication in the present-day world and the various factors affecting the comprehensibility of spoken English. Warns aqainst stressing fluency at the cost of correct pronunciation and against dogmatic preference for certain varieties of English. (IFS/WGA)

The increasing failure of cross-generational cultural transmission in America can be examined through research into the meaning of adolescent language usage. Adolescents view inconsistencies in adult society as contradictory to imposed norms. Since society is experiencing a loss of culture, secondary schools need to become the locus for its…

Shows, by discussing presupposition and speech acts, that the interplay between background information and linguistic surface is highly subtle and complex. These ideas are not always obvious to teachers, let alone English as a Foreign Language students. An examination of background information and speaker's intentions will facilitate an…

One can group and teach idioms according to their accessibility to a particular type of student. Four types of idioms exist: (1) those which have equivalents in the student's native language; (2) those having only semantic counterparts; (3) those understandable from the constituent structure; and (4) the true idioms, those not comprehensible from…

Examines samples of language usage from the Australian mass media, pointing to the media's influence on student language and to the need for teaching students how to understand media language usage. (RL)

Shows that many "liberal" educators who are in the thrall of obviously "humane" doctrines oppose semantic tyranny or suppression of free speech by their political antagonists, while failing to descry their own manipulations of language and oppositions to others' rights. (GT)

Examines recent attempts to explain children's word use and selection through recourse to information theory. It is concluded that information theory cannot account for the complexities involved in early word selection. (AM)

Reports the results of a questionnaire survey designed to discover the characteristics, background, and motivation of students of French frequenting institutes in Germany. (AM)

Presents a list of 46 new socio-political terms in Spanish that are being used more frequently in literature today. Definitions of the terms are included as well as the sources where the terms were used. (NCR)

Examines the current situation regarding the study and use of French in various European countries as well as the United States. It is suggested that French language and culture can best be promoted through the promotion of the study of many languages. (AM)

Spanish loanwords in Arizona Tewa are compared with their counterparts in Rio Grande Tewa and Hopi and the process of linguistic acculturation and culture contact are evaluated. Implications for ethnohistorical and comparative research are discussed. (SW)

Discusses classroom experiences that provide opportunities for upper-grade students to note meaning emphasis alternatives (primary and secondary, "modal" and "nonmodal") across linguistic contexts. (FL)

Describes a French course offered at the Irish branch of the Alliance Francaise designed for advanced students wishing to expand their knowledge of the language of specialized areas. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

Discusses the problems involved in making room for language variation realities in the teaching of French. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

Several short improvised skits were used in a class on language usage for foreign teachers of English. The dramas were successful in getting the class to use idiomatic English and to induce even the self-conscious to speak. (CHK)