Ways in which the notion of causation is expressed in written British English are examined in a study that collected 130 different expressive devices. The use of causative conjunctions was found to be the most frequent of eight major ways of marking causation, closely followed by causative adverbs. (21 references) (Author/LB)

Describes a study that was conducted with graduate students to verify empirically that the conventional spatial arrangements of diagrams illustrating relationships among concepts are interpreted consistently and to examine the role of spatial arrangements in establishing meaning. Implications of results for graphic and instructional designers are…

Describes the logical construction of several Russian hypertext systems, and discusses the navigational algorithms used, nodes selected, and coherence demanded. Several illustrative graphs are included, and an overview of the development of linking structures producing logical-semantic models is given. (20 references) (EA)

Texts in Classical Nahuatl from 1524, in the genre of formal oratory, reveal extensive use of lines showing parallel morphosyntactic and semantic structure. Analysis and translation of a passage point to the applicability of structural analysis to "expressive" as well as "referential" texts; and the importance of understanding…

Lexical, syntactic, structural, and semantic analyses were performed on essays written by 100 younger and 100 older adults. Few lexical or syntactic differences appeared. Older adults were less able to use more complex structure and semantics. Educational level and working memory were probably responsible for the differences. (SK)

The FG syndrome is characterized by unusual facies; sudden infant death; developmental delay; and abnormalities of the cardiac, gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems. Serial evaluations of one case with isolated agenesis of the corpus callosum found consistent patterns over time in specific language impairments in syntactic and…

Discusses the prospect of the elimination of metaphors in writings done in E-Prime (a form of English that eliminates all forms of the verb "to be"). Considers the ontology and epistemology of language with respect to the implementation of E-Prime. Argues for the usefulness of E-Prime in writing instruction. (HB)

Defines poetry as a distinctive form of language. Argues that writing poetry in E-Prime (a form of English that eliminates all forms of the verb "to be") can be a very effective tool for locating the fragmentation of regular language. Claims that excellent poetry can be written in E-Prime. (HB)

Describes how a teacher revised his public speaking textbook by altering the style to "E-Prime" (a form of English that eliminates all forms of the verb "to be"). Summarizes the arguments against the use of E-Prime and provides responses that might come from E-Prime's supporters. (HB)

Investigates semantic and contextual similarity for pairs of nouns that vary from high to low semantic similarity. An inverse relationship between similarity of meaning and the discriminability of contexts is demonstrated. It is concluded that the more often two words can be substituted, the more similar in meaning they are judged to be. (33…

On a picture vocabulary test, 42 hearing students performed better than 42 hearing-impaired students (ages 10-18) in selecting primary and secondary meanings of multimeaning words. Both groups chose primary meanings more often than secondary ones, and both groups' ability to select two meanings of words did not improve with age. (Author/JDD)

This study examining whether certain textbooks emphasize a semantic presentation of their contents arose from the results of a previous study conducted by the authors. It was hypothesized that certain textbooks would organize their contents by comparing and contrasting symptoms, signs, and disorders rather than simply listing them. (MLW)

Discusses how a child's language development is facilitated through the child's active involvement in a variety of play, talk, and reading time experiences. States that the natural processes of child development encompassing space, movement, vision, audition, and sensory integration form the backdrop for knowing the world and for the evolution of…

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)

Discusses ethos on a broader level than Aristotelian rhetoric generally does. Presents data from a case study of the outrageous ethos of a group of generative linguists on the cusp of the sixties and seventies. Considers the issues relevant to communal ethos as debated by this group of researchers. (HB)