The pros and cons of the influence of television on society are debated. Television is considered a means by which cultural information is transmitted and a powerful mechanism of socialization. However, television can be seen as a threat to the traditional role of literacy in society. (JN)

Concludes that the training of elementary school teachers to increase the frequency of oral questioning behavior in ethnic group students diagnosed as weak in oral communication increases the oral expression of those students. (FL)

An overview of studies on the role of talk in student learning. (RL)

Discusses the classroom teacher as role model for children acquiring language. Cites the traditional teacher-oriented format as one reason children do not imitate teachers' speech. (HTH)

Provides a rationale for teachers' use of reading for enjoyment as a means of developing reading ability and literature appreciation as opposed to a basic skills approach to teaching reading. (MKM)

Reviews research on the importance of oral language for the child and provides a framework for curriculum design based on talk purposes, talk contexts, and talk planning. (DD)

Presents and discusses an Interactional Competency Checklist as an effective approach to the evaluation of children's oral language competence. (DD)

Describes a program to develop students' oral language skills, a critical component of language arts in the preschool through sixth-grade curriculum. States that, for each level, a master list was comprised to help teachers discuss the creation of a continuum of oral language objectives. Finds the program made teachers, parents, and students…

Attempts to show that exophora falls within the category of anaphora proper and not deixis; it is in terms of a conceptual representation of the situation evoked that the anaphor is interpreted; and exphora is a more central manifestation of anaphora than the "endophoric" type. Naturally occurring data from English and French are the…

Presents a brief history of the development of written language as a means of communication and discusses the characteristics of reading and how this latter activity contributed to the growth of subjectivity. (36 references) (CK)

Reports a study of the diphthongs, "EAR" and "AIR," which are merging for many New Zealand speakers. Each stage of the study involves the analysis of word lists and sentences read by over 100 14- and 15-year-old school pupils. Results indicate a trend toward a merger to the EAR diphthong. (18 references) (Author/CK)

Discusses the role of Anglo-Norman in the history of French and English. Points out that evidence exists to indicate that the French used in England between the Norman Conquest and the end of the fourteenth century is a more complex subject than current writing on the subject suggests, especially in regard to the history of the English language.…

Examines the extent to which talking helps learning in a convergent group discussion task, where the students' goal is to construct predetermined "true justified knowledge." Analyzes instances where the same group of Malaysian students, studying on a higher education program in the United Kingdom, both succeeded and failed to arrive at the truth.…

Illustrates how the separate economic and political development and the ensuing lack of contact between Hong Kong and Guangzhou over the last 50 years have resulted in quantifiable tonal differences in the Cantonese spoken in these two cities. (16 references) (Author/CK)

Investigates reasons for raters assignment of particular scores on a speaking test through the use of a method called "concept mapping." Based on results, suggests that information gained from this method can be used in rater training to emphasize key rating criteria that have been deemphasized or overlooked by raters to improve the validity of…