Analyzes the language and rhetoric of persuasive discourse as employed in advertising. Uses a selection of bank advertisements as a corpus, identifying and discussing four basic models of discourse. The discussion focuses on the rhetorical devices that characterize each type of text. (MES)

Reviews evidence for a developmental sequence in symbolic play and attempts to provide a theoretical rationale for predicting correspondences between symbolic play and early language. (Author/RH)

Considers whether linguistic models can be used to examine how information is structured in the screen media. Highlights differences between language and screen media that make the transference difficult. Raises interesting questions about media literacy and whether screen media may have important perceptual and cognitive effects. (JMF)

Describes a graphic design program at the Rhode Island School of Design that reflects an intellectual and theoretical tradition while fostering the generation of visual experiment. Discusses the value of semiotics in defining curriculum needs relative to language systems, and presents descriptions and visual samplings of each problem of…

Several hypotheses are developed concerning the semantic-pragmatic shifts that take place in the development of grammatical markers such as prepositions, auxiliary verbs and sentence connectives. Over time, grammatical markers shift from being primarily referential to more pragmatic meanings, from propositional to textual to attitudinal. (PMJ)

Discusses erroneous beliefs regarding sign language, namely, (1) sign language is one and universal, (2) its grammar is poor or nonexistant, (3) its vocabulary is concrete and figurative, (4) its "signs" consist of simply gestures, and (5) sign language mimics oral language. (AM)

Presents a semiotic analysis of the potential of computer algebra systems (CAS) for enabling mathematical activity on a conceptual level higher than usual. Illustrates examples of theoretical points from a development project in the context of a first year university course in calculus. Discusses how CAS may be used in a didactical analysis and in…

Explores three broad areas of inquiry: what significance visual images have for rhetorical analysis; how a study of nonverbal material might be conducted; and whether visual explanations depend on the image or the viewer. Argues that viewers understand Joseph Wright's painting "The Air Pump" in terms of its subject, its exhibition space, the…

Considers the problem of how to track a student's real progress in learning and evaluates the success of concept mapping in constructing a learning environment in a Finnish primary school. Highlights include the semiotic paradigm developed by Charles Sanders Peirce; and results of a longitudinal study. (Author/LRW)

Presents a narrative account of a dialogue with Thomas A. Sebeok, professor of linguistics and semiotics at Indiana University. Reviews Sebeok's professional background; captures his synthetic ideas; and highlights his views on the relationships between communication and semiotics, language and communication, signs and symbols, theory and method,…

The language of special education professionals is discussed as both a language game and a professional discourse and is analyzed at the level of semiotics. The semiotics of special education is broken down into the use of generative metaphors, keywords, and signs of difference. (Author/JDD)

This special set of articles continues the discussion of the essentially cultural nature of education this periodical began in 1994 and demonstrates that the principles of meaning-making in aboriginal cultures are similar to those of mainstream cultures. These articles also outline how cultural psychology is supported by semiotics. (SLD)

Discusses what happens when students and teachers are encouraged to use multiple ways of knowing in mediating their experiences with the world. Suggests that a good language arts program expands the communication potential of all learners through the orchestration and use of multiple ways of knowing for purposes of ongoing interpretation and…

Reviews the August 1991 special issue of "Educational Administration Quarterly" on "Nontraditional Theory and Research." Feminist poststructural theories had been used to guide the analysis of educational change in the fictional Johnsonville School District. This article finds that only three of the eight articles moved beyond…

Focuses on how to define "writing" that can account for the interplay between spoken and written expressions, among other things. Specific sections discuss the definition of "writing," the concept of writing and the future development of writing, "integrational semiology," closing in on writing or excluding its more recent developments, and a…