Introduces five papers concerning speech acts in world Englishes in which it is agreed that conversational interactions in indigenized varieties of English, whether in literary works or in real life, are different compared to the native varieties, and, in some sense, represent a cross-cultural phenomenon. (GLR)

Argues for the description of thematic roles as two-cluster concepts called Proto-Agent and Proto-Patient, each characterized by a set of verbal entailments. It is asserted that an argument of a verb may bear on either or both proto-roles to varying degrees, according to the number and kind of entailments provided by the verb. (133 references) (JL)

Tests how well two models of text comprehension (one referential and one causal) predicted the importance ratings and the recall of procedural texts. Finds better predictive power of the causal model for importance ratings; neither model performed well with recall; and neither model was as predictive of procedural text as they were in previous…

Finds that zero quotatives (where direct speech is reported with neither a reporting verb nor an attributed speaker) are found when a speaker is clearly constructing attitude; where the omission of a quotative may serve some dramatic effect; and at sights where conversational partners are displaying strongly convergent behavior. (SR)

Suggests that two components of natural discourse (pragmatic information and knowledge about discourse style) play a role in memory for the surface form of sentences in discourse. Shows that recognition memory increased as a function of information about the speaker's positive and negative attitudes and that substantial verbatim memory was…

Discusses the rhetorical elements of technical copywriting, including its shared communicative aims with technical writing; authorship considerations such as ethics, education, and professionalism; and the concerns of promotional strategy, audience analysis, choice of media and materials, writing strategy, and style. (SR)

Focuses on the cooperative processes occurring during collaborative prose recall by adult dyads differing in age and relationship. Indicates that all groups produced similar proportions of story-related and conversation-related products. Notes that group differences in collaboration strategies were observed only at the end of conversations. (HB)

Discusses such errors in transcribing real time in spoken discourse as inconsistent use of transcriptional conventions; use of transcriptional symbols with multiple meanings; measurement problems; some cross-purposes of real-time transcription; neglect of time between onset and offset of speech and silence transcription; and transcriptions that…

Explores trends in text linguistics related to the diverse scope of applied linguistics. A 26-citation annotated and a larger unannotated bibliography are included. (CB)

Reviews the contribution of ethnographic research to discourse analysis, focusing on discourse practices as a reflection of cultural context; educational applications and the discontinuity issue; literacy as a focus of discourse-oriented ethnographic research; and implications for applied linguistics. A 9-citation annotated and a 50-citation…

Explores the role of grammar in language use and its pervasive linkage with discourse analysis, reconceptualizing grammar instruction as an integral aspect of communicative methodology. Related research involving tense-aspect-modality, word-order issues, subordination and complementation, special constructions, topics and themes, and grammar…

A review of research regarding discourse analysis in stylistics and literature instruction covers studies of text, systematic analysis, meaning, style, literature pedagogy, and applied linguistics. A 10-citation annotated bibliography and a larger unannotated bibliography are included. (CB)

Investigates whether preschool children behave differently when making requests to talking and silent adults and what they know about conversation intrusions. Finds that young children take longer to make their requests of silent adults and older children take longer to address talking adults. (SR)

Looks at science essays by J. B. S. Haldane that attempt to show connections between Marxist political theory and Darwinian evolutionary theory, thus blurring the generic characteristics of political and scientific discourse. Explores the understanding of the cultural dimensions of scientific activities and the resulting redefinitions of concepts…

Compares E-Prime, a form of English that eliminates all forms of the verb "to be," with E-Choice, a form of English eliminating pernicious occurrences of conjugated forms of the verb. Criticizes the use of E-Prime for its difficulty making certain statements and its premise that a mechanical device be substituted for the process of…