Shows that among the qualities of interaction present in peer learning are the negotiation of teaching and collaborative roles, attention-focusing, showing and pointing, and informative messages. (FL)

Analyzes a type of conversational exchange where the participants focus on a given subject or theme contributing personal views to the discussion. Characterizes the relationship among the participants as a "cooperative conflict," examining the internal structure of speech acts and their illocutory functions, particularly the initiatory…

Presents study designed to examine trait structure of a cloze test using confirmatory factor analysis. Results suggest that a modified cloze passage, using rational deletions, is capable of measuring syntactic- and discourse-level relationships in a text, and this advantage may outweigh considerations of reduced redundancy which underlie random…

Argues that the nondiscursiveness thesis introduces more breadth into argumentation than do any of the present alternative points of view. Maintains that all communication modalites are called into play by ordinary arguers and that the meanings of statements oftentimes cannot be understood unless attributions are made. (PD)

Applies three major points of American pragmatism to the development of technical writing assignments: (1) restricting the writing environment to the practical, workaday world, (2) emphasizing the complex contexts of purpose and audience, and (3) verifying the effectiveness of any piece of writing by its intentions. Offers criteria by which both…

Identifies three sociological dimensions that constrain the selection, production, interpretation, and reporting of verbally manipulative behaviors; discusses two texts illustrating the dimensions; and examines some problems of conceptualization and measurement. (FL)

Delineates a study showing that jurors arriving at different verdicts differ in the way they compute verdicts from a common evidence base rather than in the structure of their evidence bases. Concludes that the legal system's distinction between evidence comprehension and verdict deliberation is a defensible one. (Author/FL)

Discusses the ellipsis of major sentential elements as a pervasive grammatical phenomenon in Japanese conversation and demonstrates its relevance for current theories of discourse or text analysis. (FL)

American and EFL students' comprehension difficulties in reading scientific discourse containing implicit and explicit definitions were tested. Though both found implicit information more difficult to comprehend, the differences in scores on the implicit and explicit definitions remained the same even where English proficiency increased. (PMJ)

Presents a theoretical account of how speakers interpret that which is taken for granted in messages. Discusses research concerning enthymemes, argument theory, indirect speech acts, conversational maxims, pragmatic implication and other areas. Provides a framework for a model of how speakers interpret unspoken portions of utterances. (JMF)

Reveals that (1) structural importance and not serial position was the better guide to recall, (2) children were able to sequence properly with few idiosyncratic interferences, and (3) younger children recalled main events, as well as did older children--improved recall with age was primarily for filler events. (FL)

A study by R. Anderson, R. Reynolds, D. Schallert, and E. Goetz was replicated to determine the possible effects of contextual constraints on the findings of the original study. Results suggested that context-of-situation and background are both powerful predictors of interpretive frameworks of reading comprehension. (MKM)

Examines the use of rules-based communication during problematic situations, that is, the use of talk centering on the appropriateness of particular conduct in particular contexts. Discusses the use and implications of remediation, or rule application, and legislation, or rule creation, in problematic situations. (JMF)

Offers suggestions for using Marxist interpretations of dialectics to begin clarifying the act of rhetorical criticism. Considers three basic interpretations of the dialectic coexisting in the writings of contemporary Marxists: dialectics as a mode of thought, of description, and of discourse. (JMF)

Presents some considerations on the communicative function of interjections (expletives), and discusses these, using a selected list of expressions. (IFS/WGA)