Historians of rhetoric have generally accepted the view that Adam Smith rejected the principles of classical rhetoric. However, while there can be no doubt that Smith greatly truncated the five classical arts of rhetoric (invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery) by reducing his concerns largely to style and arrangement, he did not…

The role of English and English instruction in Norway is reviewed. English is important in many of Norway's industries and most Norwegians speak or understand some English. Within the education system, English instruction is introduced around the age of 11. The role of English instruction within the education system, English examinations, English…

In 1984, a jury awarded $200,000 to the Rev. Jerry Falwell for emotional distress intentionally inflicted by a parody depicting Falwell as a drunkard who had incestuous relations with his mother in an outhouse. In 1988, in "Hustler v. Falwell," the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the verdict on First Amendment grounds. Although the…

This paper describes the Communication in Education Workshop offered at the University of Colorado, outlines the procedures used in implementing the program, and makes recommendations for future implementation. The course was designed to allow each student to build an integrated unit of study, by providing fifteen two-hour minicourses from which…

This paper reviews the theory of linguistic relativity, tracing the historical roots, as well as contemporary formulations of the notion that languages shape thought and percetpion in different ways. Implications are then considered for intercultural communication and communication research. A bibliography is appended. (AA)

A typology of Pacific countries is attempted based on economic systems and degree of socioeconomic development using various indicators (per capita income, literacy, life span). Dimensions of language are then grafted onto these grids and an attempt is made to qualitatively correlate socioeconomic development with various manifestations of…

Public thinking and writing about literacy in recent years has served to confuse and mislead. Facts which support the "decline in literacy" belief and facts which support the opposite view are presented. Phases and statements made publicly about literacy are discussed and placed into four categories: those which use syntax to posit…

Although the best teaching strategy would seem to be that which builds on existing student values and skills, actual classroom practice falls short of this ideal because, among other reasons, the teacher is not likely to understand the student's viewpoint when it is outside his own experience. The teacher who, however, wants to capitalize on the…

In the study and analysis of cultures we must first examine our ways of thinking about things and formulate the assumptions on which we are working, because many of our results may come to us as direct implications from the assumptions that we make. In theorizing about language, culture, and human behavior, the following hypotheses are examined:…

Whether linguistics is a scientific study is reviewed in the light of what linguists actually do professionally. Personal anecdotes illustrate the linguist's view of speech as the dominant language force and language as the vehicle of social interaction and communication. The work of George K. Zipf is commented on, and Morris Bishop's poem "The…

This newsletter continues to report on the use and instruction of English throughout the world. Articles here concern the status and role of English in Zaire, Portugal, Taiwan, Israel, Tanzania, and Burundi. One report discusses the work and scope of the Center for English Language Research and Teaching in Beirut; another article reports on…

The current status of world literacy can be revealed through recent UNESCO data: (1) the nations of the world spend an average of $7800 annually to train and equip one soldier, while spending only an average of $100 annually to educate one child; (2) a quarter of the world's population will not attend any school in this century; (3) more than 40…

Four episodes are described to illustrate the language of elementary school children. Each episode supports a generalization characteristic of the language of children of elementary school age. (CM)

This study explores how effective changes in information might be in altering sex stereotypes of occupations. College student subjects rated 20 occupations on 10 bipolar scales including appropriateness of the occupation for men versus women. ( Author)