Discusses the use of discourse analysis by language learners for speaking and listening instruction. Techniques and activities that make students active participants in language learning, by producing and analyzing their own language data and becoming conscious of language production skills are described. Brief annotated and unannotated…

Discusses the rhetorical method of Ludwig Wittgenstein. Argues that it must be extended in some fundamental ways if educators want to apply his model of rhetoric. Suggests that a truly pragmatic rhetoric must bear some similarity to the method of Wittgenstein's later philosophy. (MG)

Examines forms and functions of English in Indonesia. Although English is not a dominant code of discourse, it influences Indonesian language use, particularly through lexico-semantic and pragmatic contributions to Bahasa Indonesia, the widely spoken national language. It is concluded that English should be classified as an additional rather than…

The discourse of Singaporean "English-knowing bilinguals" is examined using a new model, "expanding triangles," which involves an increasing English-speaking base population and two distinctive English speech clines. It is suggested that the expanding triangles concept allows better comprehension of the otherwise haphazard and infinite array of…

Explores the relationship between linguistic and conceptual structuring of narratives, focusing on linguistic devices used by German and U.S. narrators to identify transitions in text structure. Identifies and outlines two types of narrative orientation: differentiating events and integrating events. (SR)

Issues in computerized analysis of language usage are discussed, focusing on the problems encountered as computers, linguistics, and language teaching converge. The tools of automated language and error analysis are outlined and specific problems are illustrated in several types of classroom exercise. (MSE)

The explicit theoretical frame in which topic transitions have been described and the types of transitions are discussed, based on a study of 12 physician-patient encounters. Reciprocal and unilateral activities are identified that relate to allocation of power. (34 references) (Author/LB)

Examined discourse styles of mothers and fathers when talking separately with their three year olds about shared events. Found two distinct narrative styles, neither of which was associated with parent gender. Parents of daughters were generally more elaborative than parents of sons, and daughters participated in the conversations to a greater…

Investigates how adult readers represent causal relations among events in a narrative, specifically by testing two models of text comprehension, the linear chain of text model versus the network model. Provides support for a network model of the representation of causal relations in narratives. (HB)

Argues that an adequate theory of inference generation should accurately predict whether particular classes of knowledge-based inferences are generated online during text comprehension. Proposes a "constructionist" theory which accounts for the findings of cognitive psychology and discourse processing. (HB)

Analyzes the discourse contexts of children's justifications in verbal disputes during pretend play and object construction activities. Finds that justifications underwent little development in disputes about the physical world or the truth of assertions, but that significant developments in their use, content, and discourse context occurred in…

Notes that the contextualized, interpretive methods of qualitative research can help researchers generate rich theory. Discusses a social theory of business genres developed from a qualitative research study of organizational genres of communication. (RS)

Investigates the changes in the nonverbal forms of written language, with specific attention to the art form of graffiti. Provides and analyzes data from a study of collected graffiti. Describes three phases of visible form in the historical development of graffiti. (HB)

Offers three responses to a question about discourse synthesis and how it can be applied in the elementary classroom. (MG)

Three high-school students with severe disabilities were taught to initiate and maintain a conversation independently across a variety of school settings with nonhandicapped students as communication partners. The conversation initiation and "turntaking" skills generalized to conversation opportunities in other settings and with other…