A review of analyses of conditionals (in the philosophical literature) and of topics (primarily in linguistics) reveals that their definitions are very similar. This paper justifies the method of basing semantic analysis of a construction on a cross-linguistic examination of its superficial form. (Author/NCR)

Although the linguistic properties of sign languages, and of American Sign Language (ASL) in particular, are beginning to be studied, little work has been done on the functional properties of sign. Four experiments are reported in which signed messages were subjected to varying amounts of disruption using repetitive temporal interruption. Results…

Examines the negative consequences of using pedagogical grammars of English dominated by theoretical models which affect English as a second language composition. Limitations of these "models" include: lack of broad vocabulary, semantically "empty" verbs, and an emphasis on the use of awkward grammatical structures, which are regarded as more…

This article contains excerpts of a speech given in 1935 to the American Philosophical Association. Professor Lewis discusses the importance of learning different contexts of words without learning grammatical terminology such as nominative possessive, and dative cases. He also examines the origin of modern abstract words from past physical…

Discusses the inadequacy of structural exercises in first language instruction, and affirms the importance of oral communication in first language acquisition. (Text is in French.) (AM)

Examines the accomplishments and merits of structural exercises in relation to other methods of language teaching. (Text is in French.) (AM)

Part 1 of a continued article. (WB)

Discusses language as being (1) substance, and as such a reflection of the mind, and (2) an activity played out in oratory and the pattern of discourse. Examples from classical, medieval, and contemporary works are cited to illustrate the various concepts of language and to present a historical view of the literary and oral traditions. (DS)

Reports that, as Francis Christensen maintains, final free modifiers do occur more frequently in essay sentences by professional writers than in those by college students, but that students' prose is deficient in initial and medial modifiers also. (RD)

The major conclusion of this study is that students understand mathematics better when concepts are written with more common grammatical structures and without symbols. (MP)

Punctuation in its elocutionary function serves as a set of instructions for reading aloud. In its syntactic function, it serves to convey meaning. Results of a study indicated that many people retain the belief in the elocutionary purpose of punctuation and are insensitive to its syntactic function. (JD)

A study investigated the ability of 75 Italian secondary school students to subordinate in English. The students were learning English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) through formal instruction. The differences in learning a foreign language in formal versus informal situations are discussed, and a study of two adult Italians learning ESL informally is…