In an examination of patterns of cohesion devices in conversations, this study measured variances in high- and low-competent communicators. It demonstrates that the cohesive strategies exhibit differences attributable to the cognitive models that speakers use to hold information "in focus" and thereby establish meaning. (Contains 38 references.)…

Two books are reviewed: "The Discourse of Advertising," by Guy Cook, and "Competing Discourses, Perspectives and Ideology in Language," by David Lee. Each focuses on several issues central to discourse studies as the catalyst of critical thought and critique of traditional methods in language and linguistics. (Contains one…

Describes how technical language can be manipulated and how technical words become politicized. Discusses technical language as a vehicle of change in corporate culture. Offers examples of judgment and controversy in technical writing. (SR)

Analyzes the nature of the oral language interactions of French immersion students involved in a group drama about the early settlers. Finds that four language functions (informative, directive, expressive, and imaginative) were characteristic of children's interactions during group drama. Finds relationships between type of session and the…

Presents a discourse-functional account of English inversion, based on an examination of a large corpus of naturally occurring tokens. It is argued that inversion serves an information-packaging function and that felicitous inversion depends on the relative discourse-familiarity of the information represented by the preposed and postposed…

Discusses ways an editor can cut out words to help the reader understand quickly. Discusses dead wood, redundancy, redundancy in thought, smothered verbs, false precision, editing and academia, and making copy smoother. (SR)

Uses a computerized style checker to analyze 14 direct-mail letters used to market books to a middle-class female audience. Outlines methods for correlating stylistic traits with sales success. Finds that letter effectiveness is enhanced by lowering readability levels, as well as by limiting the use of negative words and modifiers. (PRA)

A theoretical framework for conceptualizing different kinds of language rights and for construing the nature of the tension between them is discussed. Differences between individual and communal language rights are examined, and the latter are suggested to have sound moral foundations. Examples are drawn from Canada. (19 references) (Author/LB)

Dunlop's account of narrative resolves puzzles about second-order desire and evincing complex emotions, but it works with a too simple view of emotion. This article suggests how a different view of the connection between narrative and emotion can have similar consequences. (five references) (Author/LB)

This report of an American Society for Training and Development symposium discusses how important it is for companies to deal with diversity issues. It offers guidelines for making sure business communications reflect the diversity of the work force and customer base, and it compares affirmative action, valuing diversity, and managing diversity.…

Discusses issues of document organization, document length, and writing style for avoiding bureaucratese in writing government documents. (SR)

Discusses examination and cross-examination strategies used in the adversarial system of a U.S. criminal trial, arguing against the use of traditional discourse analysis to describe courtroom communication and demonstrating how counsel use semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic features to establish credibility and achieve calculated responses. (25…

Explores the correlation between notions of sacred language and territory in the ideology of a present-day Ultraorthodox Jewish group. Three cases were found that demonstrated a parallel between linguistic and territorial ideology, and point to an intrinsic link demonstrating an ongoing, active ideological tie, rather than a set of worn, petrified…

Focuses on the subject of preterm labor in hospitals in English- and French-speaking countries. The findings presented in this study undermine the widely held view that medical conditions can always be defined in objective scientific terms and that the words used to refer to them in different languages are labels that can be put into one-to-one…

Examines how conceptions of the text, reader, author, and context are altered by postmodern theories of intertextuality (ITX), and what ITX itself has come to mean as articulated by this theorizing and research. The idea of deconstructing reading is described. (Contains 48 references.) (JP)