Finds (1) no clear instances of generic "he" in conversation but (2) that speakers use "they" as an unmarked singular generic pronoun. Finds some possibly-generic uses of "he" situates these within controversies about gender-fair references to women and men and concludes that conversational uses of "he" seem more various and complex (and perhaps…

Discusses the plain language movement and its origins. Reviews past and current resources related to plain language writing. Examines criticism of the movement while examining past and current plain language literature, with particular attention to the information design field. (SR)

Considers the social implications of the change in metaphors (drowning to surfing) describing the individuals' relationship to information. Argues that though a paradigm shift has not occurred, the significance of the change should not be minimized. Considers similarities and differences between drowning and surfing and questions arising from the…

Surveys professional editors (who work with publishing companies and magazines with national and international circulations) concerning advice to students on how writers write. Finds four main themes: (1) plan and organize carefully; (2) revise your work thoughtfully; (3) use words purposefully; and (4) correct errors thoroughly. (RS)

Describes an approach that can be used in a business communication course to help students identify some of the complex issues affecting in-house writing. Presents student responses to a writing assignment involving writing non-routine requests (bad news memos) to subordinates. (SG)

Presents an interview with Robert Creeley. Discusses his use of short versus long line length. Discusses his poems: "Life and Death,""The Mirror,""Histoire de Florida," and several of his books. (SG)

Argues for the re-examination of the time-honored view that the first language (L1) should be avoided in the classroom by teachers and students. Examines possible justifications for use of the first language, outlines teaching methods that actively employ the L1, and describes some of the different ways that the L1 may be used positively by…

Describes a variety of books that offer fictional and poetic landscapes--five historical novels set in disparate locales, a book set in medieval Denmark, another addressing the landscape of memory, and a novel about a poet-scientist. (SR)

States that recently a new operational perspective on language has emerged, and as a result, a specific, analogical solution within such an approach is being developed. Describes that position briefly and sketches how such a perspective can lead to a theoretical justification of selected elements of established technical writing practice. (PA)

Finds debate and confusion about the use of passive voice in texts in general, and in computer manuals in particular. Aims to provide clarity by presenting the "alternation principle" for the use of the passive voice in computer manuals, in which active voice is used for user actions and passive voice for automatic computer actions. (PA)

Responds to the postmodern tendency to remove responsibility from the writing act by giving ultimate agency to the reader. Develops through Kenneth Burke an ethic of writing, an attitude toward language and language use that returns agency to the writer while still recognizing that he or she is acted upon by language. Describes a methodology to…

Bilinguals in the Southwestern United States use Spanish as an ethnic marker to accept other speakers as members of the in-group, or English to exclude them, in situations in which they have a choice of code. Shows that the choice of code used in El Paso, Texas is based on the perceived ethnicity of the other bilingual speaker. (Author/VWL)

Argues the infinitive phrase has not been taken seriously in writing because writers have been too concerned with Bishop Robert Lowth's proscription against the split infinitive. Notes that examination of three types of technical prose (instructions, annual reports, and "junk mail") reveals that more than one sentence in four contains an…

Investigates tendencies with regard to gender-specific or gender-non-specific designations in English and German by means of nouns in present-day usage as well as the historical development of these tendencies. (Author/VWL)

Considers that the prevalence of excellence may reveal more about the spread of sloganeering in support of brands otherwise indistinguishable to consumers than it does any change in institutional philosophies or management techniques. Offers a sample of seven types of management ambiguity with brief exegeses; branding, market share, success, core…