A survey of university faculty responses to questionable usage by their students reveals a wide variation in expectations with regard to usage among the group. Suggests the need to devise strategies that take into account the wide gap between the ideal of proper grammar and the reality of an infinity of standards. (RBW)

Analysis of essays by Black students in an urban community college demonstrates that some errors in adult Black students' writing cannot be analyzed merely within the traditional hierarchy of rules for writing. Consideration of sociological factors is germane to an evaluation of students' writing ability. (BJV)

Examines predictors of accent transfer from L1 to L2 in a group whose acquisition of English as a second language had begun at ages ranging from 6 to 15 plus. Discusses effects of age on L2 acquisition, adding that the only other strong factor was whether L2 was used in the home. (Author/MES)

Investigated the developmental processes that lead from a literal interpretation of idiomatic expressions to the ability to comprehend and produce them figuratively. Results showed that younger children are more literally oriented than older children, who in turn are more idiomatically oriented, and that children of both age groups found it more…

Compares the relative effects of speech rate in Korea and the United States for perceptions of the speaker's credibility. Using a 3-way factorial design, data for 120 university students from each country indicate that rapid delivery can enhance one's credibility in the United States and among female Korean speakers. (SLD)

This study assesses whether third graders verbalize gender differences in dominance in mixed- and same-sex interactions, using data from tape-recordings of 43 pairs of white children (14 female and 12 male same-sex dyads and 17 different-sex dyads) playing checkers in same- or mixed-sex conditions. Children develop gender-differentiated speech…

Reports on research concerning the impact of pupils' speech styles on teacher attitudes. Focuses on Australian research and the classroom implications for Australian teachers and students. (RL)

Discusses the literature on interference as the cause of errors in second language speech. A study is reported which shows that interference by the native language is most often the factor responsible for the largest number of mistakes in grammar and vocabulary. (Author/AMH)

This case study describes a selective mute Mexican American boy, who, at initial referral, had never spoken to peers or teachers at school. Treatment procedures employed shaping and reinforcement of speech in therapy sessions. Sessions involved the psychologist alone, the classroom teacher and psychologist, the boy's best friend and the…

Survey of sixth and seventh graders in 47 schools revealed that adolescents who spoke Spanish with their parents were less likely to have had an alcoholic drink relative to adolescents who spoke English and Spanish with their parents. Differences also were found based on language use with friends, country of origin, and sex. (RJM)

Compares language patterns in two moderately aphasic adults over age 60 with left hemisphere damage, using measures of lexical richness (word frequency). Argues for the usefulness of evaluating patients on conversational speech and the role of extensive linguistic analysis in prognosis and therapy. The discussion considers both qualitative and…

Recounts students' reactions to the videotaping of their speeches in three speech communication classes. Shows how the students found the taping experience valuable. (EL)

Offers reasons and suggestions for involving Asian immigrant college students in classroom talk (by initiating informal conversations, involving more students in discussions, and structuring small-group communication). Cautions against pressuring them to adopt American speech habits that may threaten their Asian-language identities. Includes…

The spoken language occurring when primary school children work in groups at the computer was examined. Findings suggest that discourse accompanying highly structured software conforms well to the initiation/response/follow-up (IRF) structure, with the computer often taking the initiating role. The more open-ended the program, the more…

Discusses how culture affects minority school adjustment and academic performance and its influence on social mobility. The author proposes the use of a cultural frame of reference as a new level for analysis of the cultural problems that confront minority students at school. (GR)