Argues that several areas of rhetorical criticism on political speeches need reassessment. These include rhetorical biography, the speaker's purpose, issue analysis, organization or identifying patterns of construction within a speech, and style. (JMF)

Explores the validity of Labov's (1969) "Observer Paradox," and the five axioms describing the problems involved in linguistic research, for interlanguage research. Methodological remedies are suggested. (AM)

Covering a 500-year span, this article traces the changes in and evolution of the Spanish language from its earliest written accounts in the eleventh century to the Spanish that was brought by the Conquistadores to the New World. (DS)

Examines group structure and process through a serious consideration of word play of group members. Issues explored include ways in which metaphors externalize emotions, human identities are constructed metaphorically, interactional situations are managed metaphorically, and humor is related to dominance. (RC)

Proposes that English teachers hone their skills and devote time and effort to building public relations. Considers ways of telling the English teacher's story regionally, through letter writing campaigns, public service announcements, and public affairs programing. (RL)

Examines "Logan's Oration" as an example of native American speechmaking and reaffirms this piece of rhetoric as a useful sample of native oratory and a culturally authentic artifact. (JMF)

Reports on a series of language arts lessons on sex stereotypes which revealed that stereotyped attitudes about sex behavior and roles are fixed by the age of 10. Notes that as the lessons proceeded, several girls became far more vocal than they had been. (GT)

A model for register description is suggested that can be interactive with the study of language function in certain literary texts. Pupils at several levels can appreciate the nature of literary discourse more fully and make stylistic evaluation when encouraged to recognize situational determinants in language use. (Author)

Discusses the rise of classicism in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, and demonstrates how this concept represents a basis for social discrimination. (AM)

The paper is a survey of past and current research on attitudes toward Spanish language accented English in home, school, and community settings. The study highlights issues pertaining to Mexican American accented speech and the need for further research on the choice and motivation for an individual's favoring different degrees of accentedness.…

Analyzes the intonation patterns used in the oral presentation of the news. The aim is to use this analysis to make students more aware of the significance of what they are listening to and to teach them how to make use of such intonation patterns themselves. (Text is in French.) (TL)

Examines a particular "style of speech" used by a farming community in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, which is characterized by code-switching with Xhosa and by prevalent terms of address. The social significance of the speech style in terms of the identity communicated is explored and discourse features are discussed. (Author/JL)

Explores verbal strategies involving code-switching (English terms used in Chinese-based interactions) in the speech community of a Taiwanese teacher's college. Code-switching is described in terms of the fulfillment of language functions and is shown to express a linguistic style concerned with communicative appropriateness and social identity.…

Focuses on the discussion of the contemporary state of contrastive rhetoric that took place at the 1996 convention of the Teachers of English to the Speakers of Other Languages. The position taken at the convention states that no language or culture can be reduced to one or two diagrammatic structures and that stylistically preferred compositional…