Proposes that because student journalists and professional mass communicators put their words on public display, they cannot afford to take risks with being misunderstood. Argues for making word distinctions that are as precise as possible. Explains 10 commonly interchanged word pairs. (PM)

Investigates the comprehension of combined concepts (such as "peeled apple") in discourse through four experiments by having people verify features that were true of the phrase. Discusses experiments and results. Argues against a compositional model of conceptual combination in which both the modifier and head noun are accessed…

Contends that though words evolve in their usage and meaning over time, few words in the business language have changed as much as the term "win-win." Explains that once confined to literature on conflict management, the term has been co-opted in the trade press and used incorrectly in place of the term "compromise." Describes…

Discusses how the language that teachers use to describe technology influences the choices they make in this area. Highlights include the power of metaphors; metaphors and educational technology; and a study of teachers enrolled in a Masters program that examined their attitudes toward technology in general as well as their use of metaphors.…

Presents an interview with Noam Chomsky. Discusses his positions on social construction, paradigm shifts, feminist scholarship, teaching, ideology, propaganda, and indoctrination. (RS)

Presents a biographical sketch of S. I. Hayakawa and the results of a recent interview with him over the impact of his writing. (KEH)

Summarizes the discussions and conclusions of the 1988 Conference on College Composition and Communication Research Network workshop. Suggests issues that should be addressed by the group in future meetings. (RAE)

Investigates several linguistic components (verbal immediacy, uncertainty, pronoun use, and article use) as indicators of interaction involvement. Finds that highly involved communicators use more immediate language, speak with greater certainty, and use more relational pronoun references than their less involved counterparts. (MM)

Examines Noam Chomsky's (1957) discussion of "grammaticalness" and the role of linguistics in the "correct" way of speaking and writing. It is argued that the concern of linguistics with the tools of grammar has resulted in confusion, with the tools becoming mixed up with the actual language, thereby becoming the central…

Evaluates two hypotheses that argue that the Spanish demonstrative verbs "aqui" and "aca" can alternate in some contexts. The results of a quantitative study of Venezuelan Spanish show that the delimination hypothesis, which states that the place denoted by "aqui" is less limited and defined than the place denoted by "aca," is valid. (29…

Discusses "little nothings"--a paragraph that pretends to give information but only alludes to or implies needed action. Presents examples of little nothings in a marketing flier for a filter. Discusses the role of the technical writer in translating the little nothings into clear, readable text. Discusses ethical issues. (RS)

Describes two ways to combat "bad tone" and "unclear thinking" in writing. Describes "breaking the ice" as being aware of a written message's appearance--the message's readability. Explains that "fog-lifting" is accomplished by writing clearly, and by paying particular attention to the verb "to…

Examines the word "reason" as it is used in political discourse. Argues that "reason"'s plasticity and flexibility help it to stimulate and evoke variable mental images and responses in different settings and situations. Notes that the example of reason of state shows "reason"'s rhetorical power and privilege, its…

Notes that prescriptions for scientific writing about jargon and the passive voice do not take into account that language varies with rhetorical setting. Argues that prescriptions to avoid them are not well adapted to their functions. (SR)

The arbitrariness of linguistic categories is discussed. Consideration of some other fields of human activity suggests that the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is true, and it is suggested that the process of grammaticalization might be understood as a kind of ritualization. (57 references) (Author/LB)