Discusses information theory and the notions of uncertainty and semantic choice in child language. (AM)

Presents a method of contrasting sociocultural patterns through a contrastive analysis of linguistic forms and their usage across cultures. Examples are provided for English and Tagalog. (AM)

Lists the Spanish verbs most frequently used, in order of frequency. (NCR)

Gives an overview of the language situation on Ponape, with reference to social structure. (AM)

Caste and language in the Jaffna Hindu Tamil society were correlated based on data collected from sample villages in the Jaffna peninsula, where the political and economic ascendancy of the landlords was very dominant in the recent past. (SW)

Studies the use of language in social interaction by severely retarded adolescents by focusing on the relationship between communication in structured experimental situations and behavior in a normal communicative environment. (CM)

Answering the question "How does pragmadidactics compare with traditional teaching?," the article discusses the "success criterion," i.e., judging successful communication as opposed to language correctness. Considers also the concept of a functional learner's grammar, "idiomatic language," and pragmadidactic…

Teachers are often careless with words. This can lead to confused ideas and time spent in unlearning. (BB)

Suggests techniques English teachers can use in responding to the back-to-basics movement by examining social class memberships and power relationships that accompany language behavior. (DD)

Suggests that too much English teaching ignores children's feeling for language. (Editor)

The frequency with which the reader of the British press encounters Germanisms is surprisingly great. This article charts the frequency of German material in one Sunday newspaper and then indicates which individual items occurred most often. (CFM)

Considers two aspects of contemporary Russian language usage: (1) synonymity of prepositions, and (2) semantic and stylistic differences arising when certain verbs govern nouns in different cases. Material is excerpted from "Stilistik der russischen Sprache" (Russian Language Style) by Rosental and M. Telenkowa. (Text is in German.) (FB)

A production-based method of investigating children's understanding of deictic verbs is described. Use of "come/go" and "bring/take" by 4-7-year-olds is compared with Clark and Garnica's 1974 study. Data reveal different facts about verb acquisition processes and order. (CHK)

Discusses the English words "computer," and "calculator" and other related terms, their equivalents in French, and problems resulting from discrepancies in translation. (Text is in French.) (CLK)