Discusses the concept of politeness in language and its importance and implications in the foreign language classroom, covering interactional rules and competence, politeness as a social-psychological phenomenon, politeness as a learning goal and subject matter, and politeness in discourse. (CB)

Considers previous research and data regarding the relative frequencies of a wide variety of lexical items expressing doubt and certainty in written and spoken corpuses and uses the data to evaluate the adequacy of some well-known English as a second language textbooks. (Author/CB)

Examines the language used by native English speakers in business meetings and compares it with the language taught in English textbooks for use in such meetings, demonstrating that there is almost no correspondence between the two and raising questions regarding the usefulness of such textbooks. (Author/CB)

Describes the concept of "hypermedia," by which readers select and link segments of text, audio, video, or other media in a way that helps them to explore and understand information. A case is made for the use of "hypermedia" in helping students learn and understand language through its provision of massive doses of…

Advocates a "process" viewpoint of language use for second language proficiency testing and explores its potential for greater insights from five perspectives: text linguistics and discourse analysis; interlanguage; expectancy; negotiation and interaction; and communication strategies. (Author/CB)

Reports on the emergence of a new "Americanized" argot (Western cultural influences or objects) in post-Stalinist Russia. The characteristics of the argot's communicative code and the link between the code and the communicative competence of the argot-speaking groups are presented. (Author/CB)

Argues that culture, ethnicity, and class place the Puerto Rican student in a position subordinate to the majority and that administrators, teachers, and staff, by their tacit transmission of unstated norms, values, and beliefs, reproduce relations of domination and power and provide for differential schooling. (SRT)

Examination of the use of the simple present verb tense by three-year-old children (N=2) indicates that analyses in terms of tense or aspect are not adequate to account for its use. Results indicate a need to recognize the way in which the form implicitly refers to norms and thereby entails a type of impersonal motivation. (Author/CB)

Proposes a two-phase evaluation of the plain language laws that are designed to ensure that consumers can understand and use the personal business contracts they sign so that the best model for plain language legislation can be identified. (DF)

Concepts and symbols of the language of information techology are examined, including the concept of a technological revolution, a literacy crisis, the presumption of a moral and ethical dilemma, orientation toward the future, the promise of productivity, the image of an elite using an unintelligible language, and the symbol of the infallible…

Discusses a court case involving a student's use of puns in an assembly speech, Shakespeare's use of puns, the relationship between banning offensive words and the censorship of ideas, and the difficulty with placing a ban on the expression of "indecent" puns and double entendre and of deciding what is "appropriate." (EL)

Describes design and progress of the Ontario Test of English as a Second Language (OTESL) developed in response to need for a common instrument for Ontario postsecondary institutions that need to determine whether students in academic programs have adequate English skills. The test provides placement and diagnostic information to ESL programs for…

Shows how bringing a major literary text like Othello into the freshman composition writing class improves student writing and encourages group involvement in the writing process. (EL)

Provides a historical sketch of grammar study since the Romans to identify assumptions about grammar inherited or developed by nineteenth-century educators, who passed them on in ways modern educators might not recognize. Argues that the effect of this philosophical line is that the teaching of traditional grammar still has public and…

Explains that creative writing is a form of communication and stresses the importance of communication in all aspects of education and suggests activities to facilitate that, such as having students produce a town guide or initiate and organize a campaign. (DF)