Proposes a two-phase evaluation of the plain language laws that are designed to ensure that consumers can understand and use the personal business contracts they sign so that the best model for plain language legislation can be identified. (DF)

Concepts and symbols of the language of information techology are examined, including the concept of a technological revolution, a literacy crisis, the presumption of a moral and ethical dilemma, orientation toward the future, the promise of productivity, the image of an elite using an unintelligible language, and the symbol of the infallible…

Discusses a court case involving a student's use of puns in an assembly speech, Shakespeare's use of puns, the relationship between banning offensive words and the censorship of ideas, and the difficulty with placing a ban on the expression of "indecent" puns and double entendre and of deciding what is "appropriate." (EL)

Describes design and progress of the Ontario Test of English as a Second Language (OTESL) developed in response to need for a common instrument for Ontario postsecondary institutions that need to determine whether students in academic programs have adequate English skills. The test provides placement and diagnostic information to ESL programs for…

Shows how bringing a major literary text like Othello into the freshman composition writing class improves student writing and encourages group involvement in the writing process. (EL)

Provides a historical sketch of grammar study since the Romans to identify assumptions about grammar inherited or developed by nineteenth-century educators, who passed them on in ways modern educators might not recognize. Argues that the effect of this philosophical line is that the teaching of traditional grammar still has public and…

Explains that creative writing is a form of communication and stresses the importance of communication in all aspects of education and suggests activities to facilitate that, such as having students produce a town guide or initiate and organize a campaign. (DF)

Spanish/English bilingual and monolingual English-speaking children, ages 36 to 50 months, were recorded during interactions with their mothers. Analyses were made of recorded language (using selected morphological and syntactic features) and home language of bilingual children. It is concluded that results provide insight into bilingual…

Describes an integrated language arts unit built around Brian Doyle's "You Can Pick Me Up at Peggy's Cove" that provides a supportive language learning environment for children in the upper elementary grades. (FL)

Examines how Alan Durban's rewriting of Shakespeare's plays changes the meanings and beauty of the original works. (CRH)

Appraises the results of an exercise in which students in a composition class attempted to write detective stories. Concludes that many of their syntactic errors result from their intentions exceeding their level of writing skill. (RBW)

A college English teacher laments her students' incorrect use of common expresssions. (RBW)

Concludes that a significantly higher proportion of a word was needed by all adult ESL students to identify low-frequency words than high-frequency words, and a significant difference existed in the proportion of a word needed by all subjects for identification in poor, moderate, and rich contexts. (FL)

Suggests general changes in the standard reading and writing curricula and examines the language of writing instruction, in college level individual writing conferences, to take a closer look at issues involved in implementing the curricula for higher and lower achieving students. (FL)

Presents four principles to use in creating inconspicuous sex-fair language: (1) be consistent, (2) use words not marked for gender, (3) make the surface structure match the deep structure, and (4) use dual epronouns only when they contribute to clearer understanding. (MM)