A copy of a letter to a cable company, printed in large block letters and not following standard rules of spelling and syntax, serves as a catalyst for thoughts about the person who wrote the letter and a discussion about what constitutes literacy. Despite the appearances of the letter, a case can be made for the author as a writer. A close look…

Written for Canadian public servants and written with their help, this handbook presents principles and tips to make official writing clear, concise, and well organized. The handbook defines "plain language" writing as a technique of organizing information in ways that make sense to the reader--using familiar, straightforward words. The…

Metaphors are useful for creating new meanings and making assumptions explicit. This paper describes the metaphors that four female principals used to conceptualize their thinking about leadership and power. Data were derived from observations and interviews with the principals, who had been identified by their school boards as outstanding…

This paper investigates a number of questions concerning the relative advantages of the U.S. Mail versus electronic mail. Specifically, the paper asks: (1) what is the impact that E-mail has on the ways in which people communicate interpersonally in a visual presentation; (2) will E-mail replace such traditional forms of communication as greeting…

This book presents 14 essays on the topic of "E-Prime," a variant of the English language that eliminates the verbs of the "to be" family. Essays in the book claim that some of the benefits of using E-Prime in speech and writing are lively, concise writing and speaking; clearer, more critical thinking; better communication,…

A study used both a survey and observation to investigate the phenomenon of politer speech among Japanese women than among Japanese men. The survey of 256 men and 271 women, parents of college students at a college in Tokyo and representing a middle-class population, inquired about the respondents' personal use of polite forms of Japanese. It is…

This study examined different shades of meaning that a single word may have in Chinese in an effort to better understand the relationship between language and culture. An understanding of the exact meaning of Chinese words and expressions can greatly assist non-Chinese in understanding both the language and the society as a whole. A total of 102…

Ways to deal with profanity and inappropriate language used by students are discussed, and methods are suggested to control this behavior. The focus is on middle schools. Students should learn to conform to conventional language usage, they should understand that language can be appropriate, inappropriate, or unacceptable depending on the context.…

The 33 activities in this book reinforce the rules of written English by providing students with practice in editing a variety of formats. The activities help students develop a basic understanding of the rules of grammar and mechanics (generally taught in grades 4-5) in context and exercise their critical thinking abilities by identifying content…

This book is designed to help businesspeople fill the fundamental communication gap that affects everyone who works in business, from employees to managers to executives. Its purposes are as follows: to provide a common language of work; to shape the common language into a model or paradigm of work that everyone can use to help meet workplace…

A study explored the social acceptability that accompanies the expression of sexual slang. The study of gender differences in language use is nothing new. Previous research has indicated that men and women differ in their use of tentative language, topic selection, control techniques, and conversational style. However, this research has examined…

Increasingly, foreign language textbooks have espoused a pragmatic approach to the teaching of language, underscoring the value of communicative competence, functional language use, and conversational effectiveness, while at the same time retaining to some degree the more traditional goals of structural analysis and "knowledge about" language and…

A discussion of guides to English usage intended for Hong Kong speakers of English as a Second Language offers general comments on such guides, often written in Chinese and less commonly written in English, and more specific comments on one guide, written in English. The latter guide was analyzed for errors and misleading information. A large…

This paper provides a snapshot of the language used by two outdoor instructors and analyzes its therapeutic components. Following an experience of abseiling with an instructor friend (Tony), Tony's instructional dialogue with the author and his sons during the experience was written down and put aside. A year later, a surfing coach (Mark) was…

Policy catalysts such as welfare reform or research findings on the impact of day care provide new opportunities to frame the discussion surrounding early childhood education. This group of working papers examines effective language for discussing communication strategies for advocacy. The first paper, "Early Childhood Education and the…