This study, part of an on-going investigation, analyzes the syntactic aspects of code-switching. A series of empirical studies has confirmed that there are only two general linguistic constraints where code-switching may occur, the free morpheme constraint and the equivalence constraint. This study describes in formal terms how the two constraints…

The criteria employed in most textbooks to differentiate "ser" and "estar" followed by an adjective are mainly semantic. Most exercises offer to second language learners too high a proportion of "estar" usages, a practice that leads to overgeneralization with regard to the use of "estar." An experiment was…

The course described in this teacher's guide is intended to create an awareness of the pervasiveness of sexism in American culture as reflected in the language. Following an overview of the course, the guide provides a discussion of teaching methods that have proven useful in pilot studies of the course, including the following topics:…

Contending that an examination of the commentary and text of the media can reveal the composition, assumptions, and goals of political opposition movements, this paper analyzes the role of the press and its language of protest in Poland's current political context. The first section of the paper examines the responses of both the official and the…

Stylistics, the art of making effective choices in writing, depends on synonymy. This means that writers, depending on the purpose, the audience, and the context of their messages, will rephrase those messages to improve their effectiveness. Paraphrasing messages to fit the needs of particular situations depends on a number of stylistic variables…

The role of grammar in foreign language study should be shaped by realistic expectations of what academic study of a second language can accomplish. The temptation to emphasize grammar instruction above all else is reinforced by the patness of grammar instruction, by the measurability of student proficiency in grammar, and by the teacher's own…

Criteria for defining individual members of the preposition word class are set forth. Arguments are presented against calling prepositions meaningless, yet it is conceded and explained that those which occur in wider contexts are vaguer due to their greater variability. The unitary, polysemous, and/or homonymous nature of prepositions are…

The use of religious tracts in teaching a course in persuasive communication is described in this paper. Excerpts from a number of tracts are presented to show how religious tracts can be used in teaching about (1) persuasive messages that appeal to fear, (2) the question of ethics in persuasion, (3) appeals to concerns about physiological…

Fifty-four first grade students comprising eight reading groups in three separate classrooms participated in a study that examined effective and appropriate communication in peer-directed groups. Specifically, the study investigated selected aspects of requests for information and action and their relationship to language ability, social…

The dialect versus Standard English controversy continues in college composition courses. On the one hand, texts, handbooks, and workbooks usually emphasize Standard English while influential linguists point out the merits of dialectalism. One option for educators is to discuss alternatives in class. Students soon reject the extremes of…

To provide an authority on usage, this book presents an analysis of the treatment of American English as it appears in a number of dictionaries and usage guides. The first chapter presents brief sketches of the usage guides and studies that provided the basis for this compilation and discusses the organization of the book. After a resume of the…

This centrally focused collection of articles and lectures examines literary interpretation and the relation of literature to language. The first of the book's three parts introduces the distinction between natural discourse and fictive discourse (verbal structures that function as representatives of natural utterances). It also deals with the…

This journal issue concerns women's perspectives in several areas of communication. Cynthia J. Huyink, in "A Dramatistic Analysis of 'Sexual Politics' by Kate Millett," examines Millett's motivations and analyzes the rhetorical strategies she used to accomplish her attempt to explicate the system of patriarchy, to reveal its injustices to its…