It is proposed that syntactic processes (rules and constraints) may have a semantic basis. Evidence is presented that the constraint against backward pronominalization with indefinite antecedents derives from the semantic properties of various classes of definite noun phrases. (CK)

This study was based on that of Jorgensen and Kintsch (1973) regarding verification time and ease of imagery of sentences. The present study concluded that the results of Jorgensen and Kintsch do not distinguish the effects of rated imagery on reaction time from the effects of semantic relatedness and semantic complexity. (Author/RM)

In this column, the term "pragmatics", a part of linguistic analysis, is explained. The study of pragmatics concerns language usage in natural context. The item of analysis is not the sentence, but the utterance of the sentence in a particular well-defined set of contexts. (SW)

Stresses the importance of verbal elaboration when discussing general semantics in the presence of a neophyte, pointing out that definitional or illustrative emendations attached to mnemonic devices may be particularly useful to the listener. (Author/RB)

Proposes a communication model based on a general systems-general semantics perspective in which communicators and their environments are considered as interrelated parts which continually interact with each other. (RB)

Examines the effects of misused language--metaphors, euphemism, and prolixity--on the English language, concluding little can be done to bring about more precise usage of language as long as oral usage dominates. (RB)

This article examines the problem of the relationship between words that are classified as homonyms or as polysemes, and the relationship between these words and their environment. (Text is in French.) (AM)

This article examines problems in translation on the level of semantics, phonology, syntax, and morphology. The use of the subjunctive is discusses as a specific problem area. (Text is in French.) (AM)

"Tilin Garcia," a novel by Cuban author Carlos Enriquez, reveals many regional expressions of the province of Camaguey, Cuba. This linguistic study of the novel examines some of the colorful vocabulary and its literal and figurative meanings. (Text is in Spanish.) (CK)

This annotated bibliography contains 75 citations of research on terminological syntagma, the lexical unity composed of a group of words, syntactically linked and having a single meaning in a specific context (e.g., "atmospheric pressure"). The items listed are from the period between 1960 and 1988, and include national and international…

The correlation of syntactic form with discourse function has become a central research area in linguistic pragmatics and discourse analysis. Most studies have proceeded on a construction-by-construction basis, failing to note significant generalizations across sentence types. One significant exception identifies a set presuppositional…

This dictionary contains a word list of 10,993 English-French cognates (words with the same or similar spelling and meaning in both languages), including some loan words from other languages. A systematic review of the Larousse "Dictionnaire Moderne Francais--Anglais" (1960) provided this list of cognates. Deceptive cognates, or words…

A discussion of autosegmental phonology (AP), a theory of phonological representation that uses graphs rather than strings as the central data structure, considers its principal constraint, the "No Crossing Constraint" (NCC). The NCC is the statement that in a well-formed autosegmental diagram, lines of association may not cross. After…

Society does not view rape seriously. Few rape crimes are successfully prosecuted. Rape results in permanent alteration of the victim's life. Besides street rape there is no consensus on the definition of rape. This study attempts to gather people's perceptions of rape. Subjects (N=96) were approached randomly and accepted if they fit into desired…

A study investigating developmental differences in the ability to reason with conditional propositions used five variations of Wason's selection task to assess conditional reasoning in 132 eighth, tenth, and twelfth grade adolescents. In addition to examining developmental differences, the study had as an objective to examine the role of semantic…