In the process of perfecting oral performances of selected scenes from Eudora Welty's "The Optimist's Daughter," it is important to study point of view and character as they pertain to the play. Four aspects should be considered to understand the point of view: (1) the character's story, (2) the position from which the narrator speaks,…

Factors affecting the selection of ethnic American literature for use in English as second language classes are discussed. Literature is relevant to second language learning in that it illustrates sustained communication. In selecting literature it is tempting to select that which presents a favorable image of the host country. However, such…

The status of pluralistic languages in the United States may be traced back to attitudes and policies developed in medieval England, where Norman French, Old English, and Latin were each associated with certain contexts and certain populations. English finally achieved dominant status in all domains, but this achievement came about through…

Idiomatic expressions in American English provide an important clue to the speaker's values and attitudes, many of which are represented in bipolar language (e.g., "warm hearted"-"cold blooded,""walking on air"-"feeling low"). Most bipolar idiomatic continua which predict meaning also reveal positive and negative evaluations connected with…

This paper traces the interest by academic popular culture scholars in the films of the American slapstick comedy group of the 1930s and 1940s, "The Three Stooges." Noting that between 1990 and 1995 at least 17 scholarly articles have been presented at various popular culture association meetings, the paper touches upon the universal and…

To analyze a case of discourse and social transformation, a study examined the 1950s coffeehouse movement and the "Beat Generation" which spawned the movement. While the coffeehouse/Beatism phenomenon was short-lived, the philosophical foundation of the movement was far more pervasive than is generally recognized. In addition to the…

A content analysis of selected Soviet newspapers and magazines was conducted to examine what cultural events from the United States were featured in the Soviet press, whether the event or artist was presented favorably or unfavorably, and whether the stories were used to make an ideological statement. Nine publications were examined over a…

Modern linguistic research shows that the language of America is that spoken by all residents of the Americas, with many varieties influenced by other national languages (e.g., Spanish, African, American Indian). In addition, linguistic research has resulted in two competing theories about teaching standard English: that teaching standard English…

This paper postulates that the television media in the United States is reflecting the country's culture-at-large. To be marketable, photojournalists adjust their nonverbal behavior to the cultural changes of the time. To prove the point, documentation culled from the Vanderbilt University Television News Archive is provided from the three major…

A discussion of the nature and process of phonological changes taking places in languages looks specifically at the merging of allophones and the reorganization of phonemes in response to pressures within the phonological system. The hypotheses of economy and reorganization are used to analyze the process of change within a phonological system.…

A two-phase study was conducted to compare individuals' perceptions of American life with their perceptions of Robert Frank's "The Americans," a book of photographs. In the first phase, a projective technique was used to elicit verbal responses about a sample of Frank's photographs. In the second phase, a representative sample of opinion…

The topic of black dialect, a timely concern in education and society, should include an understanding of the relationship between language and culture and an understanding of the differences within ethnic and environmental influences contributing to linguistic diversity. Characteristics in black dialect which reflect its descent from African…

This paper discusses cultural awareness within the context of 20th-century social changes in the United States and suggests that cultural awareness can be a protective factor in the maintenance of indigenous cultures and languages. Three business-related cultural changes have taken place in America during this century: the creation of the consumer…

Answers to three of the questions used in gathering material for the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) are analyzed in this paper. The data was collected state by state, and the number studied in each state was based on the 1960 population figures and known patterns of settlements and migrations. In the first question, the informants…

As its core, the history of America is a history of race. Adding courses in Black studies to the regular curriculum is not enough to redress the White bias that permeates our thinking and our approach to teaching intellectual disciplines. Rather, we must reorder our one-sided approach to history. (GC)