Revision of a paper presented at meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (Minneapolis, Minn., April 1968).

Provides a synthesis of findings about lexical and syntactico-semantic differences between spoken and written language. Outlines and critically examines the major theoretical and methodological approaches used in comparative studies of spoken and written language and reexamines the question of how speech and writing relate to prototypical forms of…

A computer analysis of the most frequently occurring (approximately 18,000) words in the English language was conducted. All letter strings from two to seven letters in length (ngrams) were output. The information maybe useful for reading instruction. (Author/RD)

Explores the English language spelling system and the differences between written and spoken language. Points out that, although young children have a complex understanding of language, four-to-six-year-olds do not have the linguistic competence of adults. Explains how teachers can help in areas of difficulty. (JM)

Observes that children are ready to write when they understand what writing does, when they are interested in writing, when they want to communicate through writing, and when they understand that written symbols represent meaning. (RL)

Appraises the academic reception of McLuhan's ideas. Suggests how his insights can be applied within a systematic research tradition. (The author uses his own research on the bias of speech and writing as an example.) (PD)

Presents and analyzes two studies designed to test native speaker reaction to certain types of errors that speakers of English make when learning German. Aim was to establish the role of the medium, spoken or written, in evaluation of errors. Results show overall ratings of errors in written and spoken language are similar, although with…

Discusses the impact of printing on early modern Europe, especially on the Italian Renaissance, Protestant Reformation, and the rise of modern science. (JMF)

Examines the relation of Pidgin Sign English to American Sign Language and the written English of deaf persons. (AM)

Opposes the proposed simplification of phonetic transcription for English ("Zielsprache Englisch," 1978/4), on substantive and methodological grounds, finding that it cannot be made to reflect the facts of the language, and that it would cause learning problems. (IFS/WGA)

Two areas of concern are addressed: comprehension and expression. It is suggested that an increasing number of students in Great Britain show lower levels of academic achievement in these two areas. (LBH)

Analyzes written discourse that explores the actual structuring of text via some consistent framework. Highlights efforts to find the structures and linguistic patterns in texts that contribute to how they are understood, interpreted, and used. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on the problem of cultural stereotyping in work on intercultural communication. Describes recent interest in culture in relation to language learning and the problematic nature of the concept of culture. Concludes that Chinese attitudes toward academic study are diverse, and argues that culture is a contested area of discourse. (15…

Discusses grammatology, the theory and practice of writing. Highlights include the history of writing systems; writing and speech; integrational grammatology, which indicates that writing is a form of communication that integrates activities; spatial relations; and computer technology that blurs boundaries between reading and writing and between…

Looks at systematicity from the perspective of two putative discourse universals related to topic continuity that have been addressed separately in past studies of article acquisition. Examines how these discourse universals account for patterns of article use and nonuse in narratives written by Finnish- and Swedish-speaking learners of English.…