Reports on the continuing work in the development of a computerized writing system for American Sign Language (ASL) called Signfont. Inventories for handshapes and nonmanual markers are presented and discussed extensively. A proposed inventory of phonetic handshapes in ASL are appended. (Author/LMO)

The Georgetown Round Table on discourse analysis dealt with the following aspects of the topic: Emerson's essay on language; oral remembering and narrative structures; persuasive discourse; social construction of topical cohesion; discourse as an interactional achievement; the place of intonation; topic as the unit of analysis in a criminal law…

This paper discusses an ongoing experiment in teaching the communicative values of intonation to second-year students in an English department at a French university. The communication needs of the learners are described in terms of academic activities (e.g., formal discussion) and social contact. A basic three-term structure -- opening,…

This paper examines the parallels between suggestopedia and Soviet sleep-learning for learning foreign languages. Both systems are based on the idea that the acquisition of information can occur in states below the optimal level of consciousness. Hypnopedia makes use of the period of paradoxical or light sleep that usually occurs just as one is…

Intended for the nonnative, audiolingual-oriented Spanish teacher, this guide discusses the role of nonverbal behavior in foreign language learning with major emphasis given to an inventory of peninsular Spanish gesture. Gestures are described in narrative with line drawings to provide visual cues, and are accompanied by illustrative selections…

Culturally differentiated patterns of behavior among Englishmen and Jamaicans are discussed in this article. The attitudes of Jamaicans toward English concepts of authority, governmental administration, and education reveal potential problems in communication in cross-cultural education programs. (RL)

Twenty chapters of commentary on the filmed poetry recitation of Pierre Viala concentrate on developing insight into the cultural and social background of French language and literature. Suggestions for teaching the poems are followed by discussion of possible elements of a plan for teaching a poem and remarks about a "backward build-up" technique…

Success and failure in school is contingent upon one's ability to regulate and situate identities, utilise culturally-developed semiotic tools and negotiate models of meaning in shared social activity. However, many language minority students lack such success, struggling with conflicts between their primary-and community-based identities, and…

Differences between American and Japanese society and culture that contribute to differences in the use of body language are examined. These include historical and social factors. Examples of the differences and of the misunderstandings that can result are analyzed and illustrated, using a system of classifying kinesic codes into categories…

A mixture of theoretical and practical essays points up the purposes of, barriers to, and means of facilitating communication. Four models of how people communicate are presented. A series of essays describing communication messages and channels include considerations of "gobbledygook," nonverbal communication by touch, smell, or body movement,…

The present paper is part of a long range research project in Developmental Kinesics. The gist of the project is empirical: the object is to find out what happens rather than look for anything in particular or test a hypothesis. The methodology for the analysis is ethological in approach. Empirical observations are carefully described.…

Utah State University changed its "potentially...boring and probably...useless" French civilization course (taught in French and required of majors) to an English-taught course for French majors and majors in business, economics, political science, and prelaw. The new course focuses on stereotypes, cultural differences, and current…

This book addresses what kind of analysis of spoken language is appropriate to the assessment and fostering of fluency at the various stages of a student's development. It is easy to define fluency in general terms, but it is difficult to discern what linguistic and paralinguistic options are involved. This book begins by exploring perceptions of…

This paper discusses nonverbal communication and its implications and relevance for teachers. The first form of nonverbal language is proxemics, which describes the physical arrangement of space within a classroom and the space we allow between ourselves and others. The second form, coverbal behavior, describes physical movement, such as gestures,…

The syllabus for a college-level speech course at California State University, Los Angeles, designed to help students of English as a second language bring their pronunciation closer to mainstream English is presented. While the primary focus is on pronunciation improvement, the course also provides functional communication practice. The students…