The development of speech and language skills in hearing impaired children at the preschool level is discussed in terms of a model of communication which includes listening, speech and language, social interaction, cognition, and academics. Sample learning activities illustrate the incorporation of multiple objectives into one lesson. (DB)

Discusses three studies which show that the first two of J. Searle's conditions are extremely important to maintain if a promise is to be made or understood. Supports the idea that promises do not by themselves obligate a speaker but are used to reaffirm previously existing, and often unstated, obligations. (NKA)

Outlines a model (SUCCESS) for an approach to teaching presentational speaking that deals with the basics of speech communication, the speaker's development of the main ideas presented, providing feedback on the speaker's ability to prepare and use visual aids, and an opportunity to comment on the more general aspects of the speaker's…

Describes the rationale for teaching the cognitive context of argument and argumentation, presents an example of an approach to value argument, and discusses the role of the unconscious in argument. (PD)

Reviews the case against and for verbal self-reports, then attempts a balanced assessment. Also critiques recent argumentation studies. (Examples of self-reports include disclosures under psychoanalysis, thinking aloud protocols of undergraduates reading a message, oral choices made in perceptual judgment tasks, marks on a Likert scale.) (PD)

A group of Chinese native speakers listened to recordings of six Americans speaking Chinese as a second language and rated them on several personality traits. Two groups of traits were identified: those the judges somehow associated with language proficiency, and others, nonproficiency related (such as honesty, friendliness, and attractiveness).…

Describes the "RSVP" pilot program which uses an oral interview procedure adapted from the ACTFL/ETS Oral Interview. This procedure, which was modified for use in the classroom, is easily administered with a forced mode scale reflecting a descending hierarchy among the four skills tested: response, structure, vocabulary, and pronunciation. (SED)

Reports results of a survey of speech communication departments that profiles the intercultural communication course: assignments, teaching methods, instructor qualifications, course content, text, etc. (PD)

Describes four units in an undergraduate course that examine aging from interpersonal, intrapersonal, and mass communication perspectives. Includes readings. (PD)

Summarizes recent theory on communicative processes in language use, on the creation and exchange of meaning, and on the negotiation of roles in the classroom. Suggests exercises for activating and developing interactive skills between speakers and hearers in the foreign language. (EKN)

Discusses the use of stereotyped speech patterns as teaching material or as the basis of communicative exercises. Gives examples of the use of these gambits in drills and exercises in German. (EKN)

Reflects on the collection of academic opinion leaders at the Iowa Conference on Rhetoric and the Human Sciences who spoke on a "rhetoric turn" in academic discourse. (PD)

Concludes that, in some instances, there is a wide difference between the reputation of a graduate school and the productivity of its faculty and students. (FL)

Reports a study in which Late Stage 1 Down's syndrome children's responses were examined for their pragmatic and semantic relationships to four types of requests used by mothers. Findings indicate the responses used by retarded children and normal children are the same at this linguistic stage. (SED)

States that an oral interpretation course can deepen students' understanding of literature, extend their familiarity with important works, and help them appreciate the intricacies of rhythm and tone in poetry. Outlines student assignments for an oral interpretation course in the English program. (MM)