Noting that message variables offer communication scholars a conceptually rich body of information, this 30-item annotated bibliography reflects the diversity of research conducted in the area of language intensity. The journal articles, conference papers, and chapters of books in the annotated bibliography are divided into sections on general…

In this column, the term "pragmatics", a part of linguistic analysis, is explained. The study of pragmatics concerns language usage in natural context. The item of analysis is not the sentence, but the utterance of the sentence in a particular well-defined set of contexts. (SW)

Examines the effects of misused language--metaphors, euphemism, and prolixity--on the English language, concluding little can be done to bring about more precise usage of language as long as oral usage dominates. (RB)

This article examines the problem of the relationship between words that are classified as homonyms or as polysemes, and the relationship between these words and their environment. (Text is in French.) (AM)

"Tilin Garcia," a novel by Cuban author Carlos Enriquez, reveals many regional expressions of the province of Camaguey, Cuba. This linguistic study of the novel examines some of the colorful vocabulary and its literal and figurative meanings. (Text is in Spanish.) (CK)

This dictionary contains a word list of 10,993 English-French cognates (words with the same or similar spelling and meaning in both languages), including some loan words from other languages. A systematic review of the Larousse "Dictionnaire Moderne Francais--Anglais" (1960) provided this list of cognates. Deceptive cognates, or words…

Presents research findings on sexist uses of language in dictionaries. (RB)

Differences in meaning and usage of the two closely related Russian adverbs "daleko" and "dalyoko" are explored through examination of short literary texts. (Text is in Russian.) (DH)

In Black English (BE), in addition to the motion verb "come," there exists a modal-like "come" which expresses speaker indignation. This "come" is comparable to other modal-like forms, identical to motion verbs, which occur in Black and non-Black varieties of English, and which signal various degrees of disapproval.…

While it is fashionable to use the semantic pun in advertising (for example, the meaning extension in "dollars and sense"), a lot of this humor slips past the American reader; not only unintentional bloopers that get past the proofreader but also intentional puns that escape the audience. Advertising humor has other pitfalls as well--the…

A general semantics perspective of science fiction writer A. E. van Vogt is presented in this paper. The first major section of the paper contains a biographical sketch of van Vogt and traces the influence of A. Korzybski's work on general semantics, "Science and Sanity," on his writing, while the second major section provides an…

This paper provides a brief but broad review of studies in semantics. Particular attention is given to I.A. Richards' analyses of utterances, to value statements which express moral or ethical judgments, and to recent efforts to formulate a logic of contextual implication. J.L. Austin's analysis of performative, or illocutionary, utterances and…

This vocabulary enrichment book presents over 100 word roots of the English language. Each root is defined and its origin discussed. Words which derive from the roots are also defined and used in sentences which illustrate their meaning and usage. Over a thousand words are included in all, deriving from such roots as: allos, alter, ambul, arch,…