English essayist literacy shares many features with the discourse patterns of English speakers. Where these patterns are different from those of another ethnic group, literacy will be experienced as interethnic communication. Athabaskan discourse differs from that of English in (1) presentation of self (an Athabaskan is silent with new…

Previous research has shown how macro-structures can affect children's verbalizations. This study focuses on whether conversational contexts of forms are learned along with syntax, on what makes syntax, and on how to predict speech. Transcripts of videotapes of young children provided a matrix of function or act against actual utterance, wherein…

This report contains an extensive discussion of an approach to the study of discourse. Initial remarks concern arguments for studying discourse and approaches for discourse study that have been used; the author then discusses the relationship of discourse analysis and generative semantics. Language is considered on two issues: the decisions that a…

This collection of essays on literary composition sets forth rhetorical principles formulated from a close inductive study of contemporary American prose. The first essay develops a system of analyzing sentences by structural levels and outlines a generative rhetoric for the sentence consisting of the processes of "addition,""direction of…

The problem of measuring meaning viewed strictly as a psychological conception via the application of semantic differential theory is presented in this study. The first half of the book discusses theoretical background, logic of semantic measurement, basic factor analysis research, and a critical scientific evaluation of measuring procedures. The…

Based on Ballack and Davitz's study, "Language of the Classroom: Meanings Communicated in High School Teaching," this study investigated the distinguishing characteristics of the reacting moves used by teachers and pupils. During four consecutive class sessions, 15 New York City high school social studies classes were tape-recorded. Restrictions…

The system described in this report is designed for use as a computational tool that allows a linguist to develop and study methods for generating surface strings from an underlying semantic structure. Initial findings with regard to form-determiners (such as voice, form, tense, and mood), some rules for embedding sentences, and some attention to…

Discusses the dominance of the narrative form in President Reagan's rhetoric and how his use of narrative form--characterized by a story-based truth, an emphasis on morality, and a grounding in common sense--affects political judgment, differentiating the perspective of his supporters and his opponents. Considers the power and limitations of…

Cites and annotates 79 scholarly articles in composition and rhetoric drawn from books, monographs, and periodicals published in 1985-86. Excludes reviews of individual books, textbooks, teaching guides (unless theoretically focused), historical surveys, and elementary-secondary education studies. Emphasizes writings on new approaches, theories,…

A study of the interlanguage pragmatics of learners of Hebrew and English (L2s) focuses on pragmatic indicators used in requests and apologies (situations in Appendix). Deviations from native-speaker norms in the speech of non-native speakers are discussed. Results suggest L2s' misuse of pragmatic indicators can have serious interactional…

Computer-mediated communication (CmC) refers to interactive computer messages (E-messages), electronic mail (E-mail); forums, and computer conferencing. The use of CmC in business and classroom environments is described in light of (1) the organization of conversation; (2) surface discourse features; (3) choice of medium; and (4) the acquisition…

Three discourse-related formal aspects of model-imitation pairs were analyzed longitudinally in successive samples from two Hungarian children. Results revealed an unbroken developmental trend leading to lexically coherent conversational replies and that imitation aided the children in learning the lexicon, making phonological approximations of…

This collection of lectures, which is the viewpoint that considers writing not only as a thinking tool but also a communication tool, and thus, a tool of interaction. addresses the interactive view of writing. Also included in the collection are two articles by Danish and Turkish writing researchers on writing in English as a Foreign Language…

A discussion of the translation process focuses on inferencing strategy, using attributes and contexts that are familiar in recognizing or making sense of what is unfamiliar in a text. Examples drawn from Belgian translation student work are used to illustrate this principle in operation, at several levels of difficulty. The examples come from…

The book describes one teacher's study of student journal writing in college-level English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction and explores the potential of student journals in second language teaching. It first introduces the research questions and methods guiding the study, then reviews the literature that informed the investigation of mental…