Results of experiments (1) to assess the degree of agreement with which subjects identify paragraph boundaries in unindented prose passages, (2) to determine whether a significant proportion of the cues to paragraph structure are formal in nature, (3) to ascertain whether the identification of paragraphs in different kinds of prose differentially…

Demonstrates how rhetorical criticism can be utilized to clarify the rhetorical nature of interpersonal discourse. Synthesizes the following theories to explain the nature and form of selected portions of taped and transcribed interpersonal dialog: Lloyd Bitzer's situational theory, Ernest Bormann's fantasy theme analysis, and Carroll Arnold's…

Examines the phenomenon of regressive moves (retro-interpretation) in the light of a hypothesis according to which the formation of complex and hierarchically organized conversation units is subordinated to the linearity of discourse. Analyzes a transactional exchange, describing the interplay of integration, anticipation, and retro-interpretation…

Determined if young children can evaluate the adequacy of communications and situations that specify or omit deictic information critical to the listener's performance. Results showed that all subjects discriminated among deictically adequate and inadequate communications, but that 6-year-olds made fewer correct judgments than did 9-year-olds and…

Argues that, in their decision to restrict their study to surface evidence of cohesion beyond the sentence, Halliday and Hasan in "Cohesion in English" limit themselves to a discussion of meaning as it appears in surface structure. (HOD)

Discusses comparative analysis of spoken and written versions of a narrative to demonstrate that features which have been identified as characterizing oral discourse are also found in written discourse and that the written short story combines syntactic complexity expected in writing with features which create involvement expected in speaking.…

Extends sex bias research to personality measures, distinguishes two new types of sex bias, and provides a methodology for testing these biases. Findings suggest the two aspects of trust are sex linked. The hypothesis that more important trusting decisions are made toward men is questioned. (Author/BEF)

Examines the need for the evaluation of syntactic complexity of instructional materials in order to match them to students' needs, discusses the shortcomings of traditional analysis, and provides activities that can be used to introduce syntactic structures to students. (HTH)

Discusses the ethical and rational qualities of speech acts. (JMF)

Referring to a recent British publication, discusses linguistic problems in technical language and their relevance to foreign language teaching. Mentions specifically "cognitive structures" common to the foreign and the native languages, which can facilitate understanding technical texts. Discusses also "modes of discourse" which are relevant to…

A study of the effects of clause order and explicitness on comprehension of reversible causal relationships revealed that, for fifth graders, explicit-condition groups had a higher level of comprehension of causal relationships than did implicit-condition groups. For college students, both explicitness and clause order were significant factors in…

Describes a model that distinguishes seven types of meaning that can function in reading: discoursal, lexical, morphological, propositional, syntactic, rhetorical, and functional. (MKM)

Demonstrates that (1) in a theory of comprehension, global coherence must refer not just to the availability of a macrostructure, but also to its ease of construction; and (2) the topic-comment assignment at the sentence level can be an important influence on the reader's perception of the passage topic. (FL)

An unofficial study is recounted in which professional journals from various disciplines were examined to see whether writing styles were appreciably different from one another. An appendix with excerpts from some of the journals, with varying degrees of coherence is included. (HTH)

Focuses on sources of distortion and other inaccuracies in the work of oral historians and explains that such problems result from efforts of informants and historians to make a narrative more easily understood by the audience. Considers various efforts by oral historians to minimize distortion by using greater care and rigor in conducting,…