The function of speech and its implications for studying, understanding, and promoting language development are explored in this paper. Function is considered to be the purpose of the speaker when speaking, variously termed context of situation, situation, context, circumstance, or mode. It is noted that very few studies of speech and speech…

This paper examines the efforts of the Chinese Communist government since 1949 to bring literacy to the masses through its language reform policies. The policies discussed include the establishment of a common dialect, simplification of Chinese characters, and the development of a Chinese phonetic alphabet. In addition, the paper discusses methods…

This report is one in a regular series on the status and progress of speech research. The 11 manuscript topics are: towards a theoretical reassessment of the role of proprioception in the perception and control of human movement, interarticulator programing in stop production, the beginnings of speech, proofreading errors on the word "the," the…

The papers in this collection were initially presented in two successive conferences that dealt with the collection, use, and reporting of spoken language for educational research. The ten papers deal with the method and procedures used in studying talk in a school situation; an analysis of the interaction between the researcher and a group of…

Differences in procedures used by academic institutions and government agencies in administering the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages' Oral Proficiency Interview test are examined, and results and implications of two studies of interrater reliability are discussed. (MSE)

Describes how visual displays of their English speech patterns can be used to help native Chinese-speaking students to improve their English pronunciation. The distinct advantages of the technique over the more subjective teacher evaluations of students' pronunciation are discussed. (CB)

Discusses the use of offensive and biased language in the labor force. Suggests methods to help current and potential managers control biased language problems. (MS)

Meaningful and relevant tests of oral competence in foreign languages must address problems impeding communicative competence such as lack of student motivation, unimaginative questions, inhibitive personal questions, and pictorial tests. Examples of test questions are presented in French. (CB)

Evaluation of Chinese-speaking students' responses to a "Reporting Test" of oral proficiency in English as a foreign language indicated that the test may be valid and applicable for assessing oral proficiency. (CB)

A review of recent language research regarding the black English vernacular (BEV) considers new developments involving (1) the grammars of elderly and young speakers; (2) indications that BEV is not decreolizing but is actually diverging from white speech; and (3) the effect of contemporary developments on differences between black and white…

Describes a process called narrative theater that involves (1) the exploration of texts and the stories likely embedded within them, (2) a learning process that involves the creation of drama contexts, and (3) the use of theater conventions. (SRT)

Explores the consequences of not developing competence in oral forms of the second language, which is the intermediate step in the recommended sequence of bilingual literacy development. (JK)

Discusses different characteristics of conversational English, including: pronunciation, ellipsis, use of "you" as a general pronoun, hesitation markers, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, verbs, modifiers, comparisons, euphemisms, idioms, slang, and phatic/ritualistic expressions. (Author/CB)

Reports findings of a study that investigated the relationship between boys' reading ability and their use of specialized linguistic features in oral story telling. Contains transcripts of stories told by some subjects in the study. (FL)

Explains the whole language teaching strategy. Shows what to expect in classrooms of whole language advocates. Describes curriculum guides based on the approach. (EL)