Three types of jokes are distinguishable according to the style of speech used: 1) the merely prosaic joke, 2) the joke with a fictitious dialogue, and 3) the dialogue joke. These are analyzed in terms of communication, discourse analysis, and semantics. (Text is in German.) (DS)

Focuses on behavior of Russian stems with regard to vowel/zero alternations. Explanations are in terms of surface manifestations, and reservations about generative grammar are expressed. (RM)

A method for analyzing connected discourse beyond paragraph length is demonstrated. (JH)

New problems in translation, as between natural and artificial languages, may be explained and solved by the application of semiotics to translation. One rule emerging is that semiotic transformations are replacements of signs encoding a message by signs of another code while preserving invariant information. (CK)

Discusses the need for iconological studies, involving semiology and sociocultural research, in the use of visual aids in language instruction. (Text is in French.) (AM)

Gestalt theory deals with the act of thinking and the construction of concepts in a situated manner, and, therefore, could be used to study how meaning is extracted from a visual display. Using the Gestalt framework of form cues and their usage patterns in the perception of, and learning from, visual media, researchers could study frame, line…

John Austin's notion of illocutionary force is explored within the context of the speech act in the total speech situation; definitions of locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary acts are reviewed. It is argued that illocutionary acts are performatives that occur within a complete communication situation in which the key element is the…

This article concentrates on the syntagmatic element involved in using and understanding various signalling systems. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

Describes the use of commercial advertisements in an exercise in semantics in the French classroom. (Text is in French.) (AM)

Discusses some basic theoretical perspectives in second-language learning and draws tentative links with underlying themes and processes in simulation gaming. It is argued that the application of simulation gaming to second-language learning encourages learners to play with language symbols and enjoy themselves while learning. (Author/MBR)

Saint-Exupery's story, "The Little Prince," is analyzed from the point of view of the structures through which the author wishes to inspire and instruct the reader. The use of disguised didactic discourse and the manipulation of words toward this end are examined. (MSE)

Discusses the opposing viewpoints of the two most influential linguists of this century--Saussure and Chomsky--suggesting that while both are interested in form as opposed to substance, Saussure sees linguistics as a branch of semiotics and Chomsky sees it as part of cognitive psychology. Evaluates the relevance of these two viewpoints to the…

The Saussurean thesis of arbitrariness of the sign is considered incomplete since it specifies only vertical and not horizontal relations. (DD)