The structure of natural conversations in first-grade classrooms is the focus of this inquiry. Analyses of a particular type of discourse, namely, connected conversations initiated and sustained by questioning, suggest that the probability that a conversation will be continued may be expressed as a simple exponential function. (Author/RM)

A discussion of the historical development of American dialects. (RM)

This paper considers two classes of conversational errors: production errors and interactional errors. It is proposed that error correction can be used to invoke alternatives to concepts of persons, situation and relationships. (CK)

The author reviews the lexical, grammatical, and phonological criteria claimed in support of the hypothesis that there is a "Midland" dialect. He finds the claim to be "an unsubstantiable artifact of word geography" and discusses the inadequacies of this method. While he is "not questioning the existence of a subdialect corresponding to what has…

A set of data collected by researchers at the University of California at Riverside and presented to the Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL) is described in this document. The data consist of 14 hours of recorded interviews of 60 Mexican-American children in Riverside in grades 1-3. Comments are directed at the linguistic characteristics of the…

The 190 titles described here have been selected to provide a convenient reference guide for students of language who are concerned with regional and social variations in Southern speech. The area covered is not only that of the eleven states of the historical South, but Kentucky, Oklahoma, and West Virginia as well. The only specific aim of the…

This paper discusses some of the factors involved in deciding which variety of English to teach in areas of African where English is the language of education. Three main alternatives are recognized: American English, British English, or African English. Until recently, English was taught almost exclusively with British materials, and students…

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…

To determine attitudes of 720 middle class sixth grade students toward literary characters who speak regional dialects of American English, two randomly divided groups (experimental and control) read excerpts from "The Yearling,""Hie to the Hunters," and "The Blind Colt." The experimental group read the passages as they were originally written,…

Teachers must refuse to accept nonstandard English in the classroom. They must instill in students the idea that they are in a country where English is the official language spoken and, without adequate command of it, they are not going to succeed. (Author/EB)

Discusses the accomplishments, or lack of accomplishments, of linguistics to date and makes suggestions for the improvement of linguistics' contribution to the study and teaching of American English. (Available from the University of Alabama Press, Periodicals Department, P.O. Box 2877, University, Alabama 35486.) (AM)

Investigates speech norms in the United States by determining the effects of three American regional dialects on the attitudes towards speakers held by audience members from the same three regions. Includes selected dialects represented by General American, Appalachian, and Bostonian dialects. (MH)

S.I. Hayakawa uses personal history to support his position that learning the English language is the key for immigrants who wish to become assimilated into America's open society in order to participate in the opportunities and self-realization that America offers. (NH)

In a comparative study of American English speakers and British English speakers, it was examined whether segmental effects can be used in speech production as cues to syntactic structure. American speakers could use the segmental cues in syntax perception, while British speakers could not. Speakers of British English who were long-term residents…

Discusses syntactic and stylistic errors in the language of advertising and the reason for these linguistic irregularities. Suggests ways of dealing with the problem. (EL)