This report of an American Society for Training and Development symposium discusses how important it is for companies to deal with diversity issues. It offers guidelines for making sure business communications reflect the diversity of the work force and customer base, and it compares affirmative action, valuing diversity, and managing diversity.…

Discusses issues of document organization, document length, and writing style for avoiding bureaucratese in writing government documents. (SR)

Discusses examination and cross-examination strategies used in the adversarial system of a U.S. criminal trial, arguing against the use of traditional discourse analysis to describe courtroom communication and demonstrating how counsel use semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic features to establish credibility and achieve calculated responses. (25…

Explores the correlation between notions of sacred language and territory in the ideology of a present-day Ultraorthodox Jewish group. Three cases were found that demonstrated a parallel between linguistic and territorial ideology, and point to an intrinsic link demonstrating an ongoing, active ideological tie, rather than a set of worn, petrified…

Focuses on the subject of preterm labor in hospitals in English- and French-speaking countries. The findings presented in this study undermine the widely held view that medical conditions can always be defined in objective scientific terms and that the words used to refer to them in different languages are labels that can be put into one-to-one…

Examines how conceptions of the text, reader, author, and context are altered by postmodern theories of intertextuality (ITX), and what ITX itself has come to mean as articulated by this theorizing and research. The idea of deconstructing reading is described. (Contains 48 references.) (JP)

Some studies from the fields of adult literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL) are summarized that provide a personal look at literacy learning. (Contains 17 references.) (LB)

Discusses the prevalent trend in American English to verbify, that is to convert nonverbs into verbs. Offers criteria to help decide when to use verbified words. (SR)

Presents a variationist study in the speech of bilingual Cajuns in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. Results show a complex interrelationship of age, gender, and social network. One major finding was a v-shaped age pattern (the young show a level of usage closer to the older generation) rather than the generational model that is expected. (Author/VWL)

Argues that students need a course in grammar and that the teaching of grammar should not be considered remedial. Discusses grammar at the college level, and making grammar relevant to high school and college students. (RS)

Describes the serious and pervasive problem of "doublespeak," in which language is used to deceive and manipulate in order to control behavior. Discusses why it is crucial for English teachers at every level to be reminded about doublespeak and to teach students about its perils. Describes ways English teachers can teach about and…

Two studies investigated gender influences on the communication patterns of individuals with mental retardation. Gender-linked patterns appeared to exist among speakers with the highest Mean Length Utterances (MLU), despite the overarching relationship of MLU and person reference. (CR)

In this study, the phrase "shrug" is investigated using the Bank of English Corpus. The report is the first of three; the other two will focus on the phrases "hold one's gaze" and "touch wood." Each of these phrases relates to an aspect of communications that may hold particular difficulties for someone from another culture: gesture, eye contact,…

In this report, the phrase "hold one's gaze" is investigated using the Bank of English Corpus. The report is the second of three; the first is the phrase "shrug" and the third is "touch wood." Each of these phrases relates to an aspect of communications that may hold particular difficulties for someone from another culture: gesture, eye contact,…

Presents an annotated bibliography of 30 titles selected as notable for their potential to enhance language awareness among children in grades K-8. Notes that each book demonstrates one or more of the following criteria: (1) dealing with play on words, word origins, etc.; (2) demonstrating uniqueness in the use of language; and (3) inviting child…