Prompted by the issue of whether participation in forensics programs has some tangible beneficial effects on the participants, this paper examines how such participation might influence the participant's processing of information. The paper first presents a rationale for examining the forensics participant as an information processor, citing…

APPROXIMATELY 90 PERCENT OF THE WORLD'S COMMUNICATION IS ORAL. LISTENING AND SPEAKING SKILLS ARE THUS ESSENTIAL FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERCHANGE OF IDEAS. THESE SKILLS CAN BE TAUGHT BOTH OVERTLY AND COVERTLY BY THE TEACHER WHO IS FAMILIAR WITH THEM. THESE SKILLS CAN OFTEN BE TAUGHT IN CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER ACTIVITIES AND WITH SUCH DIRECTLY…

A study was conducted to replicate and extend an earlier investigation of the persuasive effects of extended, intense concluding sex and death metaphors by using a more controlled design and by mixing metaphors. Fifty-eight high school students completed pretests assessing their attitudes toward a speech topic (legalization of marijuana). Two…

This paper indicates the relevance of psycholinguistic research to the study of the interpretation process. Citing selected experiments that demonstrate some of the possibilities for extending research into the language experience of the interpreter, the paper argues that such an approach might lead into examining the experience of imagery,…

The scope, functions, significance, and implications of "Yuben," an early twentieth century Japanese magazine on oratory, are examined in this case study in intercultural rhetoric. The first section of the paper provides information about the magazine's genesis, including a discussion about its originator, Noma Seiji. The second section…

This report proposes that people often plan their speech acts to affect their listeners' beliefs, goals, and emotional states and that such language use can be modeled by viewing speech acts as operators in a planning system, allowing both physical and speech acts to be integrated into plans. Methodological issues of how speech acts should be…

Based on the rationale that improved literacy skills in children can be most effectively obtained by first improving their oracy skills (auding and speaking), a special oracy instructional program was developed consisting of a workshop to train teachers in teaching oracy skills, sets of structured stimulus materials for use by teachers in teaching…

This monograph on the anatomical and physiological aspects of the speech mechanism stresses the importance of a general understanding of the process of verbal communication. Contents include "Positions of the Body,""Basic Concepts Linked with the Speech Mechanism,""The Nervous System,""The Respiratory System--Sound-Power Source,""The…

Investigates how social expectations affect development of social functions of young children's speech, and concludes that children's expectations of appropriate verbal behavior are affected by differences in situations, age and sex. (MH)

Discusses the meaning of "talk" in the classroom, including the planning and evaluation of lessons designed to foster talk. (AA)

Contends that students need training in the reading of information prose in order to be prepared to attain career goals. (MH)

Analyses of duration data measured from connected-speech signals for three "slow" and three "fast" adult talkers produced mean values and standard deviations that demonstrated strong functional relationships. Slow speakers were more variable than fast speakers; thus, duration distributions may not indicate the level of…

Presents personal interviews with Dr. William Lee Miller, a former speechwriter for Adlai Stevenson's 1956 campaign for President; Dr. Robert Turner, a former speechwriter for presidents Harry Truman and John Kennedy; and Mrs. Dorothy Collins, a speechwriter for several key administrators at a major midwestern university. (JK)

"Oral skills" are defined in detail. A survey is given of the kinds of oral skills which should be taught in foreign language courses, with some discussion of appropriate methods. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)