Teachers have to decide what poems should be taught and how they should be presented. The teacher ought to choose poems which he himself likes and which he expects that his students will like. Once chosen, the poem needs to be taught as a "meaningful whole" with emphasis on its unique structure and shape and on the significance of the parts in…

The writer, who feels that the chief differences between Black English (BE) and White English (WE) are phonological and not syntactic, reports on a sociolinguistically oriented examination of that variety of English spoken by children in rural Northern Florida (CBE/Fla). Twenty-two black children between the ages of nine and 12 were taped…

In response to a study group concerned with the spoken word and the integrity of English instruction, Walter Loban traces speech and its development, examines oral language proficiency, discusses one study of oral language, discusses language and social class and language and learning, and concludes by commenting on the neglect speech instruction…

This book explores the theory and technique of faking it in America, referred to as the B.S. Factor. Chapter 1 discusses the Factor as a substitute for lies, causing a subtle skewing of sense, a distortion of logic, without ever becoming an actual lie. Chapter 2 breaks the B.S. Factor into styles or systems of thought and language such as…

Concerned with language as a form of social experience, this book considers language, English in particular, as an element in the pattern of daily life, as a form of contract between individuals and society, as the object and instrument of social judgments, as a historical testament to the continuity of human culture, and as the medium of literary…

The second volume of a three-volume series on Russian dialects is a chrestomathy of Russian dialect texts. It contains materials from nine geographic regions; the transcribed texts are listed by location of origin within a geographic region. A glossary is provided. The texts appear in dialect form and enable the student to compare dialects with…

Henry James, the nineteenth-century American novelist, also served on occasion as a theatre critic. Between 1875 and 1890 he reviewed several productions in Boston, New York, London, and Paris for "Atlantic Monthly" and other periodicals. The reviews are of interest because of James' high standards regarding acting and his often…

Discusses the many uses of the honorific title of "Don" in Spanish literature and Spanish colloquial speech. It may be used to joke and express irony, as in the expression "don ladron" (sir thief), and forms part of many idiomatic expressions. (Text is in Spanish.) (TL)

An examination is made of the specific language used in giving advice and the fine difference possible between what the speaker says and the effect of what he says on the actions or thoughts of the person receiving advice. (JD)

Guidelines for authors in writing for vocational education journals are presented and explained. The article stresses the importance of writing for the particular audience and of following the distinctive journal style, including when and how to use popular or technical style, with examples. (MF)

Presents a case study in which the use of intricate varieties of levels of honorifics in Japanese is more complicated than traditional sociolinguistics has shown. The buraku (Japanese barrio) treated here is situated in the west part of Honshu, Japan, and consists of 13 households. (CHK)

An educational psychologist discusses the problems children encounter in comprehending the written word. (JD)

This paper deals with the tempo aspect of fast speech and the theoretical implications of increase in rate of speech. Constraints unique to fast speech and normal speech are discussed. Reductions and assimilations in fast speech are noted, and points are illustrated with examples from Hebrew. (CHK)

Following a summary of various theories of language levels, a limited number of textbooks are examined according to their orientation toward either a descriptive analysis of the language or encouragement of expression and creativity among students. A bibliography of textbooks, books and articles is included. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

Microanalyses of unstructured videotaped interactions of three mother-infant dyads revealed dramatic shifts in dyadic vocalization patterns from primarily overlapping to primarily alternating. These results suggest that the emergent patterns reflect increased potential for coordination within the dyad, which may be capitalized on by mother and…