Results of a communication skills training program for high school students indicated that these students demonstrated significantly higher self-disclosure and empathy skills levels than untrained students. (Author)

Discusses the controversy between the supporters of communicative competence and those of situational teaching. Considers the so-called "mechanical" colloquial speech, which is not adapted to situational teaching, and shows the latter can be brought into harmony with classroom reality. (IFS/WGA)

Cree has a grammatical distinction that differs from the Western concept that is relevant for the selection of nominal and verbal endings between animate and inanimate nouns. Examples illustrate how the Cree distinction cuts across animate/inanimate boundaries. (PMJ)

Applied graduate programs in Communication are recommended as a desirable alternative for the future. Advantages of such programs are outlined and potential problems discussed. The Instructional Communication program at West Virginia University is described as an example of a successful applied graduate program. (JMF)

Reviews research on sign language as an instrument of communication and on the psychological validity of sign language. Examines the production of sign language as compared to oral language, perception in sign language, and studies on the role of memory in sign language. (AM)

Brown's (1979) assertion that frequency of input is not a significant variable in language acquisition was evaluated through a reanalysis of Brown's data. Frequency of parental speech input was found to be highly related to frequency of production. (Author/AM)

Discusses four major problems in defining speaking and listening as basic skills: lack of systematic attention to social communication, the need to identify salient social contexts for literate communication behavior, the need to explicate behaviors one must exhibit to be considered literate, and the difficulty in assessing functional…

Suggests practical ways of teaching functional communication on the elementary level. This approach provided opportunities for students to practice communication skills in exercise settings. Recommends a sequence of activities for teachers: observe patterns of child communication, isolate communication functions, design instructional objectives,…

Illustrates secondary level speech communication class activities intended to teach the communication functions of ritualizing and sharing feelings and to develop students' competencies in understanding and using the functions in group and interpersonal contexts. (JMF)

Proposed a model of first and second language learning within a communicative approach. (AM)

Reviews research on the importance of oral language for the child and provides a framework for curriculum design based on talk purposes, talk contexts, and talk planning. (DD)

Suggests that cumulative dynamic analysis of the semantic structure of the incoming message is subconsciously performed by interpreters. (Author/RL)

The mother of a 7-year-old deaf girl describes her daughter's early oral training and reviews the family's eventually successful efforts (through due process hearings) to change her public school placement from a total communication-oriented class to an oral program. (CL)

This interview with Paul Watzlawick covers both his theories of communication and questions concerning therapy, politics, and truth. (JMF)

Presents and discusses an Interactional Competency Checklist as an effective approach to the evaluation of children's oral language competence. (DD)