Teacher talk can be characterized as a "caregiving" style which has certain identifiable phonological, lexical, and grammatical features. Analysis of classroom discourse can make teachers and students of language aware of the process of communication, and can identify particular uses of nonverbal as well as verbal communication. This, in turn, can help teachers adjust their use of language to pedagogical goals and improve the teaching of language skills and the teaching of general knowledge. Examination by teachers and students of the features of teacher talk as register, discourse, and specialized language of control can help supplement traditional methods of teaching language arts. The following recommendations are made with a view toward observing and analyzing language variation in the classroom: (1) teachers should discuss the language of routines with students; (2) teachers should be conscious of the behaviors of routine that differ for the school as a whole and within their class; (3) students should be asked what can be accomplished when turns are taken in talking; (4) ambiguous instructions should be made explicit whenever possible; and (5) inferences should also be clearly identified as such. (AM)