Demonstrates that both syllables and vowels are carriers of word stress. With the postulation of stronger activation flow between syllables and V-units and weaker activation between syllables and C-units, it is possible to unambiguously associate stress with the syllable and to explain the differential sensitivity of consonants and vowels to…

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)

Argues that conceptualization of English as an international language must take into account the changes the language has undergone in becoming an international medium of communication and that the diverse cultural identities of teachers of World English serve to enrich the language and reflect changes in it. (MSE)

The proceedings of a 1992 French conference on the structuralist approach of linguist Lucien Tesniere are reviewed, focusing on the recent evolution of this approach in French linguistics. Topics discussed include the origins of Tesniere's theory, his model of dependency, flat phrastic structure, fusion of the lexico-semantic and lexico-syntactic…

Discusses J. R. Searle's theories about language, based on three works dating from 1969-95. Looks at the distinction made between constitutive rules and regulative rules of language use, his approach to analyzing speech acts, the view of language as a means of stating facts, and the role that our conception of science plays in Searle's theorizing.…

Presents results of a detailed analysis of courtroom transcripts involving Spanish-English interpreting by four interpreters in Sydney, Australia, where consistent changes in the interpreted versions were found. Discusses omission of substantial diminution of reference to the courtroom reality in interpreted discourse and changes in tenor that may…

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,…

Demonstrates the need for a more democratic and pluralist model of reader that may take into account cultural and linguistic differences. Shows why interpretations produced by student readers may be considered as valid as those of critics or teachers if the students ground their response on an explicit account of the language patterning.…

Language transcripts were obtained from eight male and eight female participants with mental retardation, interacting separately with one male and one female adult partner. Like typical females, female participants using speech discussed people more often than males. Females using nonspeech modes, in contrast, showed a severe reduction in…

Spanish voiced stops /b,d,g/ exhibit [+continuant] allophonic variants in phonetic environments that vary across modern speech varieties. It is argued here that variation in voiced stops and spirants continues to be associated very directly with physical factors in speech production as circumscribed by five phonetic correlates of spoken language…

Presents an example of a grammaticalization type not conforming to normal expectations of unidirectionality. The Biblical Hebrew third person singular pronouns are grammaticalizations from the verb root "to be." In Modern Hebrew, the zero copula in equative clauses has been replaced by these pronouns, producing the progression: copula to pronoun…

Analysis of English articles use patterns found the definite article (DA) used far less than in other European languages. Generic DA use is rare in English, generally only used where the head noun has already been referred to or is contextually unique. Otherwise, the indefinite article, a possessive, or plural of the noun without an article must…

Rejects the "etymological fallacy" theory, which seeks to minimize the role of etymology in the study of semantics, arguing that etymology represents a perfectly coherent philosophy of language, given that linguistic change is a legitimate source of anxiety for any culture founded on laws or sacred texts, whether oral or written. (MSE)