This paper proposes to give an evolutionary background to a method developed for the analysis of language seen as expression of intention and morality--the method is named "Perspective Text Analysis." The paper argues that this name indicates that beyond the physical dimension of a text there is a metaphysical one, which can be…

The correlation of syntactic form with discourse function has become a central research area in linguistic pragmatics and discourse analysis. Most studies have proceeded on a construction-by-construction basis, failing to note significant generalizations across sentence types. One significant exception identifies a set presuppositional…

The acoustic effects of the syllable-final /l/ significantly alter the vocalic timbre of the preceding vowel in Catalan. Vowel quality is modified anticipatory to the articulatory gestures required by the /l/, resulting in a lowered second formant. Syllable-final /l/ in Catalan is heavily velarized as a result of tongue tip-tongue back coupling…

A discussion of the ways that consciousness may be involved in learning the principles of second-language discourse and pragmatics draws on current theories of the role of consciousness in human learning in general, with suggestions for extension to the learning of pragmatics. First, research on the degree of consciousness in pragmatic learning…

The language behavior adaptations used by individuals and groups in a multilingual insider-outsider encounter to promote interaction are discussed. Forms of letting-in, asking-in, and withholding entry devices are examined in a variety of multilingual situations involving British and Ghanaian, West Indian, and Asian interlocutors. Letting-in and…

The validity of the consensus paradigm dominant in sociolinguistics is questioned. Social scientists working in this paradigm take the perspective of society as an aggregate operating through agreement between its constituent elements, working to the benefit of the aggregate. The best-known of the consensus-oriented theories is…

A discussion of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) conceptualizes ICC based on a review of the literature, details its major components and related propositions, and considers problems in and prospects for, the study of ICC. The literature of both intercultural communication and of communicative competence are examined for commonalities,…

Spontaneous interaction of three infants in conversational situations with a familiar adult at home were videotaped until the children were 2 years old, at 2- to 3-week intervals. Imitation was defined as children's utterances which maintained the order of adult utterances, were produced in the same tone, and which repeated at least one of the…

One way to understand the religion of Islam is to analyze the language and rhetoric of its users and listeners. A study examined the meaning behind the recitation of the 99 metaphorical names of Allah (God), translated from Arabic. Muslim rituals, of which this recitation is one, fulfill the basic principles of metaphors, which imply a framework…

Recent linguistic research has focused on the actual uses or functions of language. Parallel to the development of discourse analysis, traditional language learning and teaching philosophies and methodologies have been supplemented or replaced by functional approaches, focusing on developing communicative competence, beyond strictly grammatical…

In response to problems in classifying grammaticality judgments in linguistic theory, a psychological model of speakers' performance on grammaticality judgment tasks is presented. The model departs significantly from notions of metalinguistic performance outlined in previous research, and is derived principally from recent work in category theory.…

It is proposed in this paper that there are two rules involved in Finnish vowel harmony--prescriptive and descriptive. The prescriptive rule requires a back vowel in the suffix whenever there is a back vowel in the root; the descriptive rule lets the value of the last non-neutral vowel spread to the suffix and additionally involves an analysis of…

A study examined 12 preschool children's early use of "who,""what," and "which" questions in spontaneous speech. Results indicated that children began to ask object questions before they asked subject questions, and acquired argument questions before adjunct questions. It was suggested that the two results could…

A case study of a 2-year-old progressing normally in speech development provides evidence of suprasegmental marking of the plural, thought to be adopted only in language-impaired children. Acoustic analyses of the durations and intensity of elicited words indicate that the child had adopted a suprasegmental strategy for marking the singular/plural…

The question of why language acquisition is not instantaneous is addressed in terms of two related issues: the logical and the developmental aspects of language acquisition. The role of linguistic theory and research in determining the interplay of these two aspects of grammatical development is examined. It is suggested that the…