A critical reflection of the efficacy of my teaching and the pedagogies I embody is potentially important because under the continual threat of "No Child Left Behind" and some research that may devalue qualitative research, I want to support my students in their efforts, while offering them a well-rounded understanding of different pedagogies and…

This study examined how parents and adolescents talk about sex with each other and how that influences their anxiety and avoidance tendencies. When parents were receptive, informal, and composed during the conversations, their adolescents were less anxious and, in turn, were less avoidant. The child's perception of the parent's communication…

In this study, we investigate whether specific language impairment (SLI) manifests itself grammatically in the same way in Spanish and English with respect to nominal plural marking. English-speaking children with SLI are very proficient at marking plural on nouns. Spanish has two main nominal plural allomorphs: /s/ and /es/. The /es/ allomorph…

This study provides a rationale for the claim that communication instruction is critical to students' future personal and professional success. Thematic analysis of 93 journal and newspaper articles, reports, and surveys provide evidence of the centrality of communication in developing the whole person, improving the educational enterprise, being…

A primary difference between spontaneous speech and read speech concerns the use of false starts, where a speaker interrupts the flow of speech to restart his or her utterance. A study examined the acoustic aspects of such restarts in a widely-used speech database, examining approximately 1000 utterances, about 10% of which contained a restart.…

This paper hypothesizes that Frank Buchman and Alfred Korzybski were aware of each other and made some comments--written or orally--about each other's work. Support for this hypothesis was developed by concentrating on correspondence, documents, and interviews relative to the two men. The paper also provides documentation about Buchman and…

Discusses colloquialism in conversation and gives a number of examples of colloquial speech. (Text is in Spanish.) (DS)

The theoretical perspectives of intercollegiate debate are constantly shifting. This paper evaluates the mirror state counterplan--a strategy open to the negative team--both generally and in light of the criticisms leveled against it by Richard H. Dempsey and David J. Hartmann in their recently published article entitled "Mirror State…

Language arts programs need to include many activities involving speaking because oral communication is fundamental to reading and writing. (JH)

Research supported by Public Health Service Fellowship 1-F2-MH-35, 412-01, and a National Science Foundation grant.

This paper offers a tentative and exploratory discussion of the assumptive bases and ethical implications of a theory of interpersonal listening based on empathy. The first major section of the paper presents a brief historical overview of the empathic tradition, particularly as it relates to interpersonal communication study and to theory…