Reviews the general trends of research concerned with second language phonology, citing several principal factors involved in foreign accent such as age and native language interference. More recent investigations show that pronunciation of a foreign language is influenced by factors of stylistic variation and stages of development unrelated to…

Traces the history of the presence of black people's languages in Great Britain and also provides a contemporary perspective on current needs to define and articulate these language needs and to contribute toward the theory and development of language teaching, teacher training, and production of teaching material. (Author/CB)

It is unlikely that reading tests written in standard English can measure the verbal ability of nonstandard speakers. Phonological, syntactic, and lexical biases disproportionately place certain groups at a disadvantage and reinforce undesirable attitudes concerning language varieties. This can be remedied only when the society rids itself of…

Reviews the major elements of short fiction to suggest the primacy of voice in creative writing, and recommends approaches for helping students develop voice in their writing. (NKA)

Looks at Shakespeare's tragedy through the eyes and words of an English teacher's secondary school students. (NKA)

Investigates how some South Asian novelists who use English as their chosen instrument of communication are seeking to "decolonize" English. They are trying to capture the deep structures and lineaments of national cultures in order to make English a more authentic vehicle for expressing the consciousness of the people. (Author/SED)

Examines the nature of the convergent relationship between formal spoken and written discourse by focusing on three issues: (1) spoken vs. written modes; (2) formal vs. informal discourse; and (3) the relationship between oral ritual communication and written language and between ritual/written communication and everyday colloquial language. (SED)

Examines ways in which meaning is extracted in authentic language contexts and claims that whatever level of language people use deviates from some putative ideal. Such deviant use of language is common to everyday conversation. Examines two common contexts in which authentic but deviant language is the medium of communication. (Author SED)

Presents details of the linguistic modification in speech to children in the Mayan language, Quiche. Evaluates 17 features commonly cited for speech to children and notes seven additional features for Quiche: whispering, initial-syllable deletion, BT formed for verbs, a verbal suffix, more fixed word order, more imperatives, and a special…

Provides a detailed linguistic-stylistic analysis of a seven-year-old black child's "sharing time" narrative, a narrative clearly in the oral rather than the literate style. Discusses the danger of oral style children (often minorities) appearing incoherent to the teacher and being given less (and poorer quality) instructional time and…

Explains how students can enhance their writing skills and strategies by examining prose models concurrent with their own writing. (HOD)

Describes a study done to determine which intonational parameters are most important to the meaning being conveyed within different social settings. Defines the factors that appear to influence the use of pitch and/or intensity prominence on negative words. Found that, in many situations, interactional rules take precedence over linguistic rules.…

Examines the verbal and nonverbal behavior patterns associated with two speech styles, one formal and the other informal, among factory workers. Available from: Mouton Publishers, Box 482, the Hague, Netherlands. (AM)

This article discusses sociolinguistics and how certain of its norms bear a direct relationship to the teaching objectives of EFL. (CLK)

There is overwhelming research and anecdotal evidence suggesting that traditional letter writing has significantly dwindled due to the increase use of email, online chats, telephone, and other electronic communication devices. People who became mainly dependent on internet relay chats in the late 1990s found themselves developing a new phraseology…