Describes a project which investigated perceived differences in the oral communication of technical information, and whether discrimination of gender based upon these perceptions is accurate. Results showed significant gender difference and that respondents largely based their perception of gender on use of technical language or jargon. Manner and…

Responds to an article in this same issue (which commented on these authors' 1993 article in the same journal). Suggests cultural context as another possible factor that may have caused results in the various studies under discussion to be different. (SR)

Tests the relationship between corporation performance and the readability of annual reports. Shows that annual reports of good performers were easier to read than those of poor performers--good performers used strong writing, unlike poor performers but did not use significantly more jargon or modifiers. (SR)

Chronicles the current trend in "schoolspeak"--giving "glamorous" euphemisms to ordinary terms for education. Suggests that schoolspeak serves two purposes: (1) it applies new and approved labels to existing practices; and (2) it works to mask harsh realities. States that the essential debate as to the role and future of public…

An overview of debated issues related to the benefits and disadvantages of inclusive schooling. The beliefs of districts, school personnel and parents are widely differing as related to the placement of students with special needs in inclusive settings. The examples of current federal laws help to shape the debate of full inclusion in schools…

Since written reports are completed on most calls to which emergency medical technicians (EMTs) respond, report writing is an important part of their professional lives. Discourse analysis focused on how EMTs establish professional authority using specific rhetorical strategies when completing "run reports." One way of understanding the…

This document presents English-Spanish/Spanish-English equivalent translations of scientific and management terms commonly used in the field of natural resource management. The glossary is composed of two sections. Section 1 contains the English to Spanish translations, while Section 2 provides the Spanish to English translations. Each section is…

Legal writing is a unique form of composition. The legal style is characterized by a reliance upon nominalizations, archaisms, jargon, and foreign (especially French and Latin) terms and a scarcity of verbs and adverbs. Twelve judicial opinions, all on the subject of whether an advance degree should be considered marital property upon divorce,…

Over the past 2 decades, a shift has taken place in the language of education. The most prominent semantic marker of this shift is the increase in the use of the word learning and the subsequent decrease in the use of the word education. This short paper contends that the very language educators use to speak and write about education makes certain…

Very realistic spoof of research and scholarly writing. Reports on quantitative and qualitative research into "self-nurturant" (self-indulgent) behaviors and related personality patterns such as the pollyanna, the sulky hedonist, and the guilt-ridden masochistic indulgent. (SV)

Explored dimensions of behavioral consultation that can potentially influence teachers' reactions to consultation process. Elementary school teachers (n=60) were randomly assigned to view and rate one of four scenarios which varied by consultee involvement and consultant language. Subjects reported high ratings for technical language when…

Examines the relationship of instructional designers and content experts and suggests methods to make these relationships more successful, including simplifying language to eliminate jargon; emphasizing the benefits of instructional design involvement; and focusing on interpersonal communication skills. Four sample scripts for instructional…

Technopoly rhetoric hypes computers in classrooms without considering costs, ultimate purposes, technology's place in the curriculum, and technology's effects on learners and learning. Developed by the military and modern corporations, computers concentrate more on efficiency, speed, power, and information than on sustained inquiry and genuine…

A teacher has found a historical study of a newspaper's doublespeak to be consistently effective when it is used in an American studies classroom as a teaching model. As the Ku Klux Klan evolved in the 1920s, so did the Pekin, Illinois, "Daily Times's" deceptive coverage of the Klan. Doublespeak in news reports and editorials was used to…

Noting that words like "alienation,""ideology," and "hegemony" are cropping up in academic journals (particularly those journals that concern themselves with rhetoric) with more and more frequency, this paper explains some of the basic terms used by the political left. The paper notes that such terms tend to come up…