Examines the use of gestures by German, Thai, and Tagalog speakers. The study shows how, by careful examination of what recipients are doing at the moment when a speaker produces a gesture, evidence can be derived as to whether the gestural component of the utterance is being attended. (19 references) (MDM)

The conversational interactions of 25 mothers and their 4.5-year-old children, who had been born preterm, were evaluated during a social problem-solving task. The subject mothers tended to approach the task as a vocabulary lesson, whereas comparison mothers tended to focus on the social negotiation aspect of the task. Possible explanations for…

Argues that teachers need to become more aware of the types of discourse they use in their classroom and become better able to distinguish between discourse patterns that promote second-language learning and those that do not. Provides a checklist for the self-assessment of teacher discourse patterns. (eight references) (MDM)

This study focuses on event descriptions in two couples' talks about relationship troubles in front of counselors, examining discursive patterns that have a recurring, predictable, sequential pattern. The relationship dynamics of couples' relationship troubles are discussed. (31 references) (MDM)

Examines what should be the oral component of a foreign language course. Structural, interactive, generic, and contextual constraints are discussed in terms of their implications for teaching. (32 references) (Author/CK)

In communicative language teaching, one has to deal with both pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic components of language. Too often, learners overlook the cultural inferences of a sentence. One has to favor a cultural verification phase because it is the cultural context that imparts meaning to an event and enables mastery of a discursive process.…

A total of 65 letters of reference written by American referees and 65 letters written by referees from 5 Asian cultures were analyzed to discover the conventions and expectations guiding readers and writers from these backgrounds. Results found that Asian referees tended to use direct recommendations more frequently than their American…

A story format and discourse analysis procedure was used to evaluate the spoken language skills of 20 elementary students with learning disabilities over a 1-year period. Stories from memory were longer and characterized by more as well as different types of errors than were stories from pictures or stories based on games. (Author/DB)

The conversations of 10 deaf children (ages 10-12) and their families at dinnertime were examined, and spoken and signed verbal exchanges were documented. Results showed that deaf children responded more loquaciously to questions than they did to statements or expressions of ideas, and the children were unsuccessful in continuing topics of…

Traces the development of Languages for Specific Purposes in the United States, presents a rationale for its place within the foreign language curriculum, and offers an assessment of its research base. (212 references) (GLR)

Examined rhetorical and argumentative aspects of the "communication contract" stipulated in asking for and providing psychological advice in a mass media setting such as an advice column were examined. Letters from two Italian and two British magazines were used for the study. (14 references) (LB)

A theory of literary interpretation that treats the reader's interaction with text as a form of conversation is discussed, and related teaching techniques are described. The approach uses four steps: (1) articulating initial responses; (2) pursuing deeper understanding of the text; (3) interaction with the text; and (4) identifying possibilities…

Examines the interactions of pairs of language students working with multimedia. Specific comparisons are made of the patterns of discourse of second-language English Speakers and native English speakers within a framework for analyzing the interactional dynamic that incorporates the ways that exchanges are shaped by constraints. The implications…

Examines how interaction by means of computer-mediated communication affects the operation of both status differentials and power relations. Claims that power relations are reinforced in computer-mediated communications. Outlines a theoretical framework of the processes of "panoptic power" of such communications. (HB)

Examines the effects of time restriction on social interaction in computer-mediated communication through a meta-analysis of applicable research. Derives hypotheses from Joseph Walther's social information processing perspective. Supports these hypotheses on social communication. (HB)