Proposes a taxonomy of functions for direct reports of speech (and of writing and thought) in focus-group discussions. Reported speech both depicts the experience of the original utterance and detaches the reported utterance from the reporting speaker. (Author/VWL)

Proposes that empirical disposition toward the dialog of informal discourse (the Vernacular Rhetoric model) provides a deeper understanding of public opinion than either the Rational Deliberation or the Opinion Poll models. Discusses an outsider's experience witnessing vernacular discourse, the rhetorical locus of public opinion in vernacular…

Finds that communication modality moderates effects of power of language style on attitudes toward speaker's recommendation but not on evaluations of the speaker. Indicates that systematic information processing is used to form attitudes toward a recommendation when arguments are represented in writing, whereas audio and audio-visual modes…

One of a series of letters to parents of children with developmental apraxia of speech, this letter discusses other problems associated with the disorder including language development problems, academic problems, motor skill problems, and chewing and swallowing difficulties. An annotated bibliography of two further readings for parents is…

Explored the extent to which a model of the acoustic consequences of overlapping, sliding consonantal and vocalic gestures was used to account for stress-induced changes in F2 trajectories occurring in test words embedded in a carrier phrase. Three stress conditions were studied including contrastive stress on test words, contrastive stress on the…

Summarizes research on structure of gesture produced in absence of speech. Finds that gestures of both hearing individuals who have been asked not to speak and deaf individuals who depend solely on gesture to communicate (including homesigners) exhibit characteristics typically associated with speech; gestures are segmented and linear rather than…

Outlines a cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) perspective that accounts for protocol analysis along three key dimensions: the relationship between thinking and speech from a representational standpoint; the social role of speech in research methodology; and the influence of speech on thinking and data collection. (Author/VWL)

This study investigated speaking rate and voice onset time (VOT) in speech produced during simultaneous communication (SC) by speakers with normal hearing. The somewhat enlarged voicing contrast during SC was consistent with previous findings regarding the influence of rate changes on the temporal fine structure of speech and voicing contrast…

Discusses how a communications department can thrive and what allows for it to be reduced and threatened with extinction. Provides specific advice for survival: (1) avoid isolation; (2) pursue political positioning; (3) seek support and strong leadership; (4) capitalize on contributions of adjunct faculty; and (5) develop departmental…

Queensland (Australia) Open Learning Network delivered training to telephone industry workers using audiographic conferencing. Ways to overcome the lack of face-to-face interaction were devised, and the presenter used oral cues more extensively. (SK)

Investigated adult English speakers' production of subject and object relative clause sentences using a picture/symbol-based augmentative and alternative communication (ACC) system with speech output. Most participants avoided the potential ambiguity that resulted from the absence of grammatical markers. Results indicate the combined effects of…

Tests two accounts of the role of gesture in speaking. Specifically, the study seeks to establish whether gesture is involved in the conceptual planning of messages, or whether it is involved only in the generation of the surface forms of utterances. To accomplish this goal, two tasks were developed that elicit comparable utterances but make…

Offers an account of the influences on Australian communication education of changes in the structure of the country's higher-education system, tensions between Anglo-European and United States influences, and the impact of the intersection of communication and cultural studies. Pays particular attention to achievement, gaps, and directions.…

Develops the distinction between "referential" and "modalizing" aspects of language and describes their functional dissociation, as observed in various manifestations of aphasia and in the speech of hemispherectomy and commissurotomy patients. (Author/JL)

Tests the Multidimensional Model for teaching students to self-manage communication apprehension by self-selecting treatment techniques. Finds significantly greater reduction in communication apprehension level when teaching the Multidimensional Model than when only using traditional skills training. (SR)