I show how a conversational process that takes simple, intuitively meaningful steps may be understood as a sophisticated computation that derives the richly detailed, complex representations implicit in our knowledge of language. To develop the account, I argue that natural language is structured in a way that lets us formalize grammatical…

The term "pragmatics" is commonly used in two quite different senses. In linguistic discourse, "pragmatics" refers to the strategies (exploitation of shared knowledge, assumptions about communicative intent, etc.), by which language users relate the dictionary/grammar meaning of utterances to their communicative value in…

Both the speaker and hearer of a conversation can make use of ambiguity to achieve their special purpose in a given situation. The strategies stemming from pragmatic ambiguity offer distinct advantages to speakers and hearers. When dealing with ambiguity, linguists have concentrated on the source of ambiguity and how to analyze it. References to…

The linguistic philosophies of H. P. Grice and J. L. Austin are discussed, and ways of applying their ideas to learning activities for gifted students are suggested. Grice's work focuses on prerequisites for successful conversation, the cooperative principle, and features of conversational implicature. Austin's work analyzes the distinction…

Examines the direct and indirect support for the Whorf hypothesis which states that one thinks in a language and that language shapes what one thinks and perceives. (RB)

The subjunctive in English is analyzed, based on plays of Beaumont and Fletcher from the Early New English period. See FL 508 197 for availability. (RM)

Reviews articles by Allen Walker Read and Merriam-Webster's Editor-in-Chief Gove on dictionaries. Problems discussed are boundaries of the lexicon, regional usage, commercial dictionaries, ordering of lexemes, establishing meaning, providing grammatical information, semantics, and editorial bias. (MSE)

This book contains 25 essays about English words, and how they are defined, valued, and discussed. The book is divided into four sections. The first section, "Language Lore," examines some of the myths and misconceptions that affect attitudes toward language--and towards English in particular. The second section, "Language…

A discussion of ellipsis, the omission of information from a communication, argues that the fairly precise logical notion of ellipsis as used in philosophical analysis can be applied in the sociological study of ideology. It is proposed that ellipsis is a simple explanation of the workings of the language in which much potent ideology is embodied,…

Examines the hypothesis of general semantics that controlling language-influenced misconceptions and misperceptions of reality will enhance emotional and intellectual efficiency. (RB)

Using examples drawn from books, magazines, newspapers, and television programs, this book examines linguistic sexism in the hope that if people consciously discard the semantic symbols of deeply rooted cultural assumptions, in time they will be freed from their power. The nine chapters discuss the following topics: how the way the culture's…

This paper provides a review of some basic general semantic principles and then applies them to the area of prenatal classes and labor room practices. It first presents an overview of the principle that language is not a neutral factor in human perceptions but an active, reactive force. Next, it looks at the relationship between language and…

The central concern of this book is the pursuit of experimental methods whereby grammatical and semantic inquiry can be put on a satisfying objective basis. (To state that the aim is to find out whether a given linguistic form is "acceptable" is true, but an oversimplification which is misleading because it implies a "yes or no" decision and…

This study was conducted in order to determine the extent to which the choice of pronoun and noun gender stereotyped sex-role in illustrative sentences of the most recent unabridged dictionary, "The Random House Dictionary of the English Language" (1966). The author systematically sampled 2,028 sentences, each containing at least one gender word,…

Discusses the use of the two past tenses in French, specifically in literature and news reporting. (AM)