Presents an interview of Sandra Thompson on various topics relating to the Chinese language. The interview touches on conversational data on Chinese, the lack of morphological complexity in Mandarin Chinese, and the development of Chinese functionalism. (12 references) (CK)

Presents brief annotations of 46 childrens books that explore the purposes, playfulness, and poetic beauty of words used to communicate in both oral and written forms. (SR)

Brings language use and identity together in a critical reading of recent modern language and intercultural communication literatures. Alternative readings legitimize the dual idea of languages and linguists as agents that mark and are marked. Suggests that for identify to be agentic in character, power has to be acknowledged, struggled with, and…

Examines native Spanish-speaking students' participation in a dynamic literacy practice in a primary-grade English immersion class established by Proposition 227, which mandates English-only instruction. Elaborates three principles that enable the analysis of literacy acquisition as a process dependent on the commingling of social relations,…

Investigates the role of English in Moldova. Building on Phillipson's concept of linguistic imperialism and Kachru's three concentric circles of world Englishes, proposes a weak form of linguistic dominance based on the notion of opportunism. The model is supported by data from a recent study of language attitudes and language use in Moldova. Data…

Details a creative writing project based on "zines," which are independently created and published personal magazines. Notes challenges addressed in the project, such as composing an engaging introduction and choice of language in relation to audience. Concludes that the students were enthusiastic about the project, and were interested…

Argues that student use of quotation marks jars educators not because it departs from good practice but because, through them, students invoke voices educators do not want to recognize. Concludes that examining the ways both professors and students use non-standard quotes encourages an understanding of composition as a practice that brings…

Examines the dynamics of reading, writing and telling stories. Argues that working collaboratively can motivate writers in ways which encourage them to redraft their work purposefully and explicitly in pursuit of particular creative effects. Exemplifies ways in which knowledge about language at word, sentence and whole text level can effectively…

The grammaticalization of "liao" as a main verb in tenth-century vernacular texts to "le" as an aspectual particle in modern Chinese is investigated. The change is attributed to the resultative construction coming into existence in the language and to instances where the verb took sentential subjects or occurred in temporal clauses only. (17…

Argues that students must be attuned to the fact that language serves those who are in power and excludes those who are not. Describes an exercise demonstrating this arrangement that uses a simple "degrees of meaning" list. Notes that students realize that linguistic rules are only as strong as those who impose them. (RS)

Investigates group differences in the use of language to request information in the conversational discourse of 39 children of 4-5 years. Membership in an ethnic group, social class, and situation affected speakers' displays of this function. (RJC)

Describes how journals can be used to explore students' perceptions of self and society. Analyzes ("deconstructs") student journal entries to examine the language used to express experiences, and notes that encouraging students to examine their own entries helps them find language that more closely coincides with their realities. (MM)

Reports on two sets of data on teachers' and children's use of male and female pronouns in two early childhood programs. Results support other findings that young children are socialized to see maleness as more important than femaleness. (PCB)

Traces the theoretical significance of using names as titles for situations, and applies this analysis to the United States' intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) programs. Argues that the names given to ICBMs preserve their utility as weapons by linking them to the myths of the nineteenth-century western frontier. (MM)

Describes an exercise in which students learn to recognize cliches by locating them in a poem and generating them in a class discussion. Notes that by teaching students to recognize unimaginative and ineffective language in the work of other writers, they can learn to avoid it themselves. (MM)