Experiment supported by a grant from the U.S. Office of Education, OEC-0-70-1626. Bibliography included. (DS)

Defining stylistics as the study of all the varieties which constitute a language, the author discusses some of the concepts relative to stylistic analysis and describes the dimensions of style which the teacher must bear in mind when approaching the study of English. To be continued in a later issue. (FWB)

Results indicate that using the generic pronoun "she" can negatively affect perceptions of social attractiveness for all speakers; it particularly affects a male speaker's perceived competence. The generic "they," however, did not hinder perceived credibility in any way; in fact, it enhanced females' perceived competence. (PD)

Stresses the importance for language learning of ordinary and familiar situations that bring about dialog between teacher and children. Emphasizes an environment for language learning that is stimulating for the children and that enriches and enhances the linguistic skills they already possess while increasing their expressive skills. (FL)

Transcripts from four weekly one-hour elementary school science lessons indicate the possible interpretations of the teacher's utterance "What do you mean?" by attending to its interactional context. (MLF)

Discusses some syntactic evidence gathered in a recent study which suggests not only that the dialect of Puerto Rican Spanish spoken in the New York area may be undergoing greater change than has previously been documented, but also that English interference cannot adequately account for the nature of that change. (EKN)

Studies programs on death and dying emphasizing the need for health care professionals to focus on the affectual and experiential aspects of their patients and of themselves. Implicit elements of health professions education keep the attention of the student and clinician centered on technological factors. (Author)

Examines reactions to male and female discussants who express positions of dissent in small decision-making groups. Results indicate that both men and women were persuasive when they used well-supported arguments. The use of qualifiers (tag questions, disclaimers) only had an adverse affect, however, when used by women. (PD)

Describes five videotapes drawn from a conference on teacher education. The tapes discuss alternative ways of viewing current problems in reading and language development, the "Breakthrough to Literacy" program developed in Great Britain, language codes, language as a resource, and language as a part of human behavior. (FL)

Describes ERIC resources that present research on children's language usage and development and that suggest activities for the promotion of language development. (ET)

Considers school writing situations in comparison with speech situations. Discusses the responses of five Australian high school girls to questions about writing v speaking. (RL)

Discusses the importance of the English passive voice in particular contexts and suggests a program for teaching it. There are three stages: (1) the student is shown the use of the passive and its function, (2) work is done on reading and listening comprehension, and (3) some grammatical markers are shown. (PJM)

Explains how the orientation process, using a functional/notional approach to language teaching, provides for specification and ordering of activities in the classroom. Models can be worked out for particular activities and resources can be collected so that the models can be adopted as needed to include a variety of content. (Author/PJM)

The president of the Australian Association for the Teaching of English and the editor of "English Quarterly" discuss "officialese" in public documents, teacher/parent relations, and the training of teachers. (RL)

Statistical data from the U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Income and Education reveals societal patterns of language shift. The data can confirm the adequacy of theories of the causality of language shift. Examination of the data indicates geographic regions where language shift has occurred and is likely to occur. (PMJ)