Analyzes the discourse completion data collected through Japanese English-as-a-foreign-language learners with reference to four speech functions--thanking, apology, request, and offering. Compares Japanese learners' expressions with expressions obtained by native speakers of English stored in the London-Lund corpus of Spoken English. (Author/VWL)

Emphasizes that communicating in a foreign language requires understanding the linguistic strategies of its speakers as expressions of their frame of participation and underlying preferred politeness strategies in order to respond appropriately. The article presents results from sociolinguistic research studying a group of Spanish speakers…

Presents a descriptive analysis of speech acts in Arabic: forms of address, apologies, requests, expressions of gratitude, disagreement, greetings, refusals, partings, and telephone etiquette. Results reveal that linguistic formulas of each speech act were determined by social distance, formality of the situation, age, level of education, and…

Examines error gravity research design and its theoretical assumptions. Results indicate that investigators have only skimmed the surface of the process of error evaluation, which is shaped by extralinguistic factors. The article concludes that researchers should reconceptualize error gravity research and reassess earlier studies to confirm or…

Explores perspectives and methodologies that sociolinguistics brings to ethnographic research in schools. The article identifies the methodological contributions arising from linguistics that interactional sociolinguistics and microethnograpy share, such as the use of naturally occurring language data, the consultation of native intuition, and…

Investigates the effects of tutor gender in interaction patterns in postgraduate university seminars and focuses on the discourse patterns of two of these classes. The female tutor used more minimal responses and called on students more often by name and gaze than the male tutor; she occupied less floor-space than the male tutor, and her speaking…

Case notes from an Australian law course illustrate linguistic demands that this academic genre places on non-English-speaking background students. These demands need to be explicit to clarify the association between lexicogrammatical realizations and generic meanings in the discourse. Case notes and a reading assignment are appended. (Contains 26…

A study analyzed the communicative dynamics occurring during explicit instruction of a grammatical concept (concerning French verbs) taught within the students' Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Analysis focused on discourse strategies used at four levels of the ZPD. (Contains 48 references.) (Author/MSE)

Studied talk in early childhood contexts and the formative influences of adults' gendered language interaction. The types of discourse studied include children's conversations during pretend play construction and role play, parent and child reports of past speech, parent and child reminiscences of past events, and children's persuasive…

Examines the communication strategies used by adult second-language learners of English when performing contrasting pedagogic tasks. The article suggests that existing descriptions of communication strategies ignore the pragmatic function of such devices in interactive discourse and offers a reclassification that differentiates strategies…

One element in debates over core college curricula, balancing breadth and depth of reading, is addressed from the point of view of Paulo Freire and his theory of critical literacy. Three levels at which a college course based on Freirean principles might be developed are outlined. At each level, the aim is to enhance breadth of perspective through…

Presents observations of 15-member literature discussion group in a fifth-grade classroom. Shows that even in such groups, intended to create a more democratic forum where students' voices are heard and valued, factors like gender, cultural background, and status play a role in whose ideas get expressed and are actually listened to. (SR)

Examined the discourse patterns of teachers from intensive English programs in the United States. Through examining the verbal interaction among teachers and students and focusing on teacher talk specifically, patterns and features were observed that helped facilitate productive interaction and contributed to moving students and teachers closer to…

Looks at learner initiative in teacher-fronted activities, and how this can influence classroom interaction. Extracts from lesson transcripts of adult evening classes in Italy are used to give precise definition of what is meant by learner initiative and to illustrate how it can change interaction patterns. (Author/VWL)

Explores social interactive features of synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC)--commonly known as "chat"--as such features unfolded in real time and developed over a 9-week period in two college Spanish courses. Invoked a Vygotskian sociocultural theoretical framework and employed discourse analysis as a research tool to…