Thirty essays on language and communication in their contemporary social contexts are brought together in this volume which differs significantly from other language readers in that it (1) treats only those aspects of the subjects that have demonstrated their appeal to a wide range of students, (2) emphasizes their social and cultural…

Offers reviews of six standardized English tests, noting their applicability/usefulness to journalism educators. Concludes that none of the tests meets all needs of journalism programs. (RL)

The influences of writing tasks and gender on the quality of student writing of black and white eighth graders were examined. Data from statewide writing assessments of 170,899 Georgia students indicated both writing tasks and student characteristics were significant predictors of writing quality. There were both racial and gender differences. (SM)

The concurrent trends of globalisation and "indigenisation" affecting the English language (varieties) around the world pose some interesting questions for language planning and reform issues (e.g. Phillipson, 1992; Pennycook, 1994; Crystal, 1997). With this project we examine the impact of these competing trends on "corpus…

Intended as a text to help teachers introduce college freshmen and sophomores to language through writing or to writing through introduction to language, this book emphasizes the relationship of linguistics to composition, literature, and the human condition. The nine chapters discuss the following topics: (1) three approaches to language, (2)…

Writing teachers should consider cultural pluralism as a rich resource in their classrooms, rather than as a distraction with which to cope. Because speakers of nonstandard English have important language skills in at least two different dialects, teachers should not only teach the standard dialect but also invite nonstandard English speaking…

The reduction of existing lexical items to shorter forms has generally been discussed under the headings of "acronyms,""back-formations," and "clippings." Two kinds of acronym are found, the letter-naming type (e.g. FBI, YMCA) and the letter-sounding type (e.g. UNESCO, CARE). The latter type must be pronounceable within the phonotactic norms of…

ORANGE COUNTY FLORIDA'S ENGLISH GUIDE FOR GRADES SEVEN THROUGH TWELVE IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR ASPECTS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDY--(1) LISTENING, SPEAKING, VIEWING, (2) DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF THE LANGUAGE (INCLUDING GRAMMAR, WORD STUDY, AND USAGE), (3) READING AND LITERATURE, AND (4) WRITING. EACH SECTION DELINEATES OBJECTIVES, CONCEPTS, ATTITUDES,…

This is one in a series of eight discussion pamphlets produced by the Writing Across the Curriculum Project dealing with some of the issues connected with writing in the schools and their relation to learning. This pamphlet is concerned with what is involved in the learning of new ideas and what part language plays in the process. It includes…

Although the black poet Melvin B. Tolson is recognized and respected by other poets and critics, he is unknown both to students and to the general reading public. This paper points out that the key to understanding Tolson's poetry, and much of the poetry coming out of black America, is his use of language. The paper examines one of Tolson's major…

The main research hypothesis of this study stated that when the universal characteristics of language evaluation are applied to the written language of the students in four fifth grades of varying racial composition, no significant differences would be reported. Two instruments were used: a composition and a series of six paragraphs modified by a…

This study analyzed the effect of various stimuli on the number and kinds of words produced, the number and length of grammatical structures formed, and the quality of writing produced under four stimulus conditions. Third-grade students from Clarke County, Georgia, wrote compositions after (1) being asked to write a story (minimal stimulus); (2)…

This book is based on a large collection of material gathered over two years (1969-71) as part of the Schools Council Project on Language Development in the Primary School. It gives priority to the discussion of student-produced materials in primary schools, and its primary aim is to select for attention the more promising ways in which language…

Reports on a study of the oral and written English syntax of both Gaelic/English bilingual and English monolingual fourth- and ninth-grade students on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland. Concludes that the use of English syntax by bilingual speakers was equal to or (in one measure) superior to that of monolingual speakers. (ET)

Offers research topics and three class activities designed to explore the implications of sexism while building reading and writing skills. (RL)