Culturally specific compounds in Chinese could be more effectively studied from a cognitive approach, using the underlying idealized cognitive models defined by Lakoff. It is argued that the formation of Chinese compounds are systematically guided by idealized cognitive models and compounds are semantically compositional. (seven references) (LB)

Discussion of expert systems and intelligent tutoring systems in the education field highlights an expert system that was developed to enhance the learning process in the field of grammatical constructs. Topics addressed include representing the natural language; parsing; LOGOOP (Logo in Object-Oriented Programing); and user-system interface. (11…

The study analyzes four- to eight-year-old French children's acquisition of conditional verb forms. Relevant data in the literature and results of an experiment designed to gain information on the temporal meaning of young children's past conditional verb forms are presented and discussed. (25 references) (KM)

Discusses language comprehension and describes a technology for computer-aided text analysis called READWARE and software from the READWARE family called the Research Assistant that measures the relatedness of words or phrases by examining their letters. The theory of Letter Semantics is explained, and paradigms for text processing in information…

Twenty-five teachers working in deaf education signed a set of stimuli and their performances were videotaped and analyzed. Data revealed that users of Signing Exact English were able to follow the rules of that system a significantly higher percentage of time than users of Seeing Essential English or Signed/Manual English. (Author/JDD)

Discussion of automatic indexing in information retrieval systems focuses on attempts to improve the indexing representation produced by the FASIT system. Concept selection and concept grouping are explained; improving disambiguation is discussed; and a retrieval experiment to test the effectiveness of the disambiguation using the cystic fibrosis…

This study investigated taxonomic clustering and use of frequency associations as features in the semantic memory of children (n=30 in grades two and six) with learning disabilities (LD). Results suggested that, when individual child-generated word lists (i.e., meaningful) are used, children with LD may not be impaired in their ability to utilize…

Argues that meaning is encoded not only in words but also in grammatical categories. These claims are illustrated and documented by analyzing one area of grammar in a number of different languages of the world: that area that is usually associated with the term of "evidentiality." (Contains 25 references.) (JL)

Changes in labels for people with mental retardation over the years have not significantly impacted on negative attitudes toward this population. Recommended is selection of labels which are unambiguous in meaning, based on research on connotations of various labels, and based on preferences expressed by people with mental retardation and their…

For the past 30 years, much has been written about the works of Noam Chomsky. A comparison is presented of the latest writings about Chomsky (in particular P.M.S. Hacker's 1990 work) with those written in the early 1960s. (CFM)

Presents basic rules governing the use of German predicates that are interpreted as but not synonymous with "be" or "put" in English, focusing on the verbs' special characteristics and correct usage in authentic German sentences. (12 references) (Author/CB)

The Colorado Process Analysis of the Written Language of Hearing-Impaired Children assesses the semantic characteristics of expressive written language narratives prepared by beginning writers. The validity of the instrument was examined with 284 children (ages 7-21), indicating that the model does identify characteristics that are critical to the…

Discusses and examines two approaches to concept-based retrieval of hypermedia information that improve a user's ability to navigate large systems--term indexing with semantically coupled thesauri and semantic hyperindexing. Visualization of index structures is discussed, and an example, the Cube of Contents retrieval model for the "Active…

Reflects upon the contextual issues associated with the adoption and spread of the term "lefargen" as part of Israeli social semantics. The data consist of reports of linguistic usage encountered in natural settings, press reports, or the more formal setting of interviews. Findings are compared with similar cultural idioms in other…

Studies the efficacy of E-Prime (a form of English that eliminates all forms of the verb "to be") by looking at copula deletion and "flaming" by 214 users of electronic mail. Concludes that no relationship exists between copula deletion and flaming, which does not support the use of E-Prime. (HB)