An editorialized report of data accumulated in a study of current American practice in the treatment of problems of usage in general purpose dictionaries. Their descriptive objectivity is characterized as "that of the blind men examining the elephant." Such practices reveal little change from that of Samuel Johnson's 1755 English…

Argues that the nonfuture use of "will" has exactly the same semantic structure as the future "will," and that the basic meaning of "will" is potential rather than future. (Author/HP)

Discusses how the usage of "to be" verbs can contribute to harmful stigmas, and shows how the rehabilitation counselor can avoid the abuses of labeling and select words that have more concrete meaning, through E-Prime, a method of eliminating all "to be" verbs in written and spoken language (English). (TA)

Discusses, for the benefit of English-speaking students, the use of the article with personal titles in Spanish. (RM)

Recommends for dialog in textbooks a "didactic" rather than a purely natural character, avoiding obtrusive characteristics of any particular speech level. However, for exercises in auditory understanding, familiar colloquial style should be emphasized. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

The latest (July, 1976) edition of the "Concise Oxford Dictionary" is seen as "prescriptive," and of limited use to foreigners, since it lacks an international phonetic transcription. It is questioned whether sufficient treatment is given to new words, scientific words, non-British English, obscene language, change of meaning, and obsolescence.…

Presents some examples of differences of meaning, as well as "secondary effects," in noun phrases using or omitting the articles, definite and indefinite, in German, e.g.: "Die Kinder machen Krach,""Die Kinder machen den Krach," and "Die Kinder machen einen Krach!" The question is seen as needing much more research. (WGA)

This article outlines the history of the debate concerning usage of the terms "castellano" and "espanol" referring to the Spanish language. Development of the language and the question of standardization are touched on. (Text is in Spanish.) (CHK)

The word "verteufeln" is now in common use in German television broadcasts. Its popularity in current colloquial German is seen as due to the fact that it combines picturesqueness and vagueness. It is used, for example, in lieu of words for "condemn,""scold," and "disparage." (Text is in German.) (WGA)

Assessment of spontaneous language samples for word-finding characteristics of language-disordered (N=28) and non-disordered (N=28) 7- to 12-year-olds indicated that non-disordered subjects produced significantly more total verbalizations and a greater modified mean length of utterance score than the subjects with word-finding problems. (CB)

Introduces a new method for studying influence of media on language. Compares radio call-in conversations and normal telephone conversations, where differences might be seen as aspects of the interaction between media and language use. (JK)

Critically examines contemporary interactional studies of the cultural specificity of human language. The study is a cross-cultural analysis of misconstrued communications in human interaction, ascertaining whether these interactions are crucially dependent on nonlinguistic variables. (CB)

Provides examples of doublespeak which show that its use has increased since the Committee on Public Doublespeak was established 14 years ago. Points out that English teachers must teach respect for and love of language to instill in students a sense of outrage when they encounter doublespeak. (ARH)

The development and present status of "Chicano Calo," a mixture of Spanish and English spoken in Mexico and the Southwestern United States, is surveyed. Originally a Romany (Gypsy) language, it is preeminently oral and has become fashionable in most sociocultural strata, but particularly among younger males to reflect mild rebellion.…

Analyzes the press coverage of the Finkbine abortion case in 1962. Concludes that it brought about a marked changed in the way the press reported and the public viewed abortion. (FL)