Showing papers on "Written language published in 1992"

Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery--Revised: Recommendations and Reports

Abstract: Recommendations General Cognitive Factors Oral Language Reading Written Language Mathematics Knowledge/Content Areas Attention Deficit Disorder Behavior Management Social Skills/Self-Esteem Hearing Impairments Visual Impairments From the Evaluation Report to Behavioral Objectives Case Studies Cluster Construction Test and Cluster Descriptions Scores and Interpretative Information Classification of Relative Mastery Index Ranges Classification of Standard Score and Percentile Ranges Sample Reports Appendix: Interventions and Techniques.

Spoken and written language relationships in language/learning-impaired and normally achieving school-age children.

Abstract: Students with language/learning impairment (LLI) and three groups of normally achieving children matched for chronological age, spoken language, and reading abilities wrote and told stories that we...

Literacy objects as cultural tools: Effects on children's literacy behaviors in play.

Abstract: A study examined the effects of literacy-enriched play settings on preschoolers' literacy behaviors in spontaneous free play. Subjects were 91 children, ages 3-5, from 2 urban day care centers. Prior to, and following the intervention, the frequency of each child's handling, reading and writing behaviors in play was assessed through direct observation. Videotaped samples of play areas, collected throughout the study, examined the nature of children's play themes and their uses of literacy objects in play. Following baseline observations, the physical environment of one of the day care centers was enriched with literacy objects in three distinct play centers: kitchen, office, and library. Significant differences were recorded for the experimental group in the frequency, duration, and complexity of literacy demonstrations in play. Further, children in the experimental group incorporated literacy objects in more diverse and functional ways in their play using more explicit language than the control group. Findings suggests that, with literacy-enriched settings, play may become an increasingly important context for children to discover and explore the nature of written language. (SevIn tables of data and 4 figures are included; 45 references are attached.) (Author/MG) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original docvment. ***********************************************************************

The Evolution of Medical Research Writing from 1735 to 1985: The Case of the "Edinburgh Medical Journal.".

Abstract: A crucial event in the historical evolution of scientific English was the birth of the scientific journal. This event, and its early rhetorical consequences, have been well described in recent research. In contrast, few details are known concerning subsequent developments in scientific writing from the eighteenth century onward. In this paper, the changing language and rhetoric of medical research reporting over the last 250years are characterized and the underlying causes of these changes investigated.Research articles from the Edinburgh Medical Journal, the oldest continuing medical journal in English, constitute the corpus in this study. Sampling took place at seven intervals beween 1735 and 1985, with two types of data analysis being performed: rhetorical analysis focusing on the broad genre characteristics of articles; and linguistic analysis of these articles' registral features using Biber's system of text analysis.Results indicate that the linguistic/rhetorical evolution of medical research writing can be accounted for on the basis of the changing epistemological norms of medical knowledge, the growth of a professional medical community, and the periodic redefinition of medicine vis-a-vis the non-medical sciences.

Cultural Preference and the Expository Writing of African-American Adolescents.

Abstract: Research by linguists and educators confirms the observation that aspects of the African-American experience are reflected in the grammatical, phonological, lexical, and stylistic features of African-American English and in the patterns of language use, including narrative, found in African-American speech communities. This study goes beyond prior research to investigate and characterize what Hymes refers to as the preferred patterns for the “organization of experience” among African-American adolescents. The results of the study revealed that, although subjects from several ethnic backgrounds stated a preference for using vernacular-based organizational patterns in informal oral exposition, African-American adolescents, in contrast to a group of Hispanic-American, Asian-American, and European-American adolescents, reported a strong preference for using vernacular-based patterns in academic writing tasks as they got older. These findings suggest that the organization of expository discourse is affected by...

The linguistics of literacy

Abstract: 1. Contributors 2. Introduction (by Downing, Pamela A.) 3. I. Written Language and poken Language Compared 4. Variation in the intonation and punctuation of different adverbial clause types in spoken and written English (by Ford, Cecilia E.) 5. Information flow in speaking and writing (by Chafe, Wallace) 6. How is conversation like literary discourse? The role of imagery and details in creating involvement (by Tannen, Deborah) 7. Modern American poetry and modern American speech (by Berry, Eleanor) 8. II. Orthographic systems 9. Segmentalism in linguisitics: The alphabetic basis of phonological theory (by Aronoff, Mark) 10. The syllabic origin of writing and the segmental origin of the alphabet (by Daniels, Peter T.) 11. Phonemic segmentation as ephiphenomenon: Evidence from the history of alphabetic writing (by Faber, Alice) 12. Aspiration and Cherokee orthographies (by Scancarelli, Janine) 13. Interpreting Emai orthograpgic strategies (by Schaefer, Ronald P.) 14. Linguistic aspects of musical and mathematical notation (by McCawley, James D.) 15. III. The Psychology of Orthography 16. Orthographic aspects of linguistic competence (by Derwing, Bruce L.) 17. The costs and benefits of phonological analysis (by Ohala, John J.) 18. Morphological relationship revealed through the repetition priming task (by Feldman, Laurie Beth) 19. Orthography and phonology: The psychological reality of orthographic depth (by Frost, Ram) 20. A model of lexical storage: Evidence from second language learners' orthographic errors (by Cowan, J Ron) 21. IV. Consequences of literacy 22. Writing is a technology that restructures thought (by Ong, Walter J.) 23. Language Index 24. Author Index 25. Subject Index

Whole language plus : essays on literacy in the United States and New Zealand

Abstract: The essays collected here span 20 years of Courtney Cazden's research on written language and its acquisition. Dr Cazden re-unites language arts that have become divided by conflicts between advocates of whole language and advocates of more direct instruction. She explains her commitment to the fundamental principles of whole languages, while also examining its practical limitations for many learners. While Dr Cazden would in no way advocate a return to "back-to-basics" fragmentation of language, she concludes that simple immersion in a rich literacy environment is not enough. Two major themes govern the book: as people learn to read and write, they need deliberate help to focus on specific features of written language and attend to parts as well as wholes; and because a multiplicity of literacies exist within and among cultures, learners also need help in understanding cultural and situational contexts of written language forms. "Whole Language" classrooms are examined from New Zealand as well as the United States, Discussion of a wide range of relevant literature, and above all the grounding of every essay in Cazden's own varied teaching and research experiences should make "Whole language Plus" fascinating and lively reading. Each chapter has its own afterword and foreword, newly written for this book, which provide background and fresh viewpoints gained through the perspective of time. "Whole Language Plus" should appeal to a wide range of readers: all those interested in language arts and English education, K-adult education, including pre- and in-service teachers, students, professors, curriculum planners/ and administrators.

Early Childhood Language Arts

Abstract: Preface PART ONE / Language Learning in Context 1 Appreciating Diversity in Children's Language Fact File on Diversity What Is the Cutural Context and Home Literacy Environment? Collaboration with Families and Professionals Contributions and Consequences Standards to Guide Professional Practice: Diversity in the Language Arts Meeting the Needs of Children with Language Differences Overview of Children's Language Differences Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Classroom Activities to Support Diverse Language Learners Conclusion Research-Based Literacy Strategies Story Retelling Using Technology Using Interactive Books with Children with Low Book Interest Dolch Sight Word List 2 Optimizing Every Child's Language Growth through Family Literacy Fact File on Families What Is Family and Community Engagement in Schools? Collaboration with Families and Professionals Contributions and Consequences Standards to Guide Professional Practice: The National PTA Standards Overview of Parents' and Families' Contributions to Early Literacy Engaging Families as Observers of Children Engaging Families as Environment Arrangers Engaging Families as Interactors Engaging Families as Motivators and Encouragers Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Classroom Activities to Support Family Literacy Conclusion Research-Based Literacy Strategies Providing Access to Books through Pediatricians Training Parents and Families as Reading Partners Building Vocabulary by Reading Aloud PART TWO / Oral Language 3 Understanding Language Development in Early Childhood Fact File on Language Development What Is Language? Collaboration with Families and Professionals Contributions and Consequences Standards to Guide Professional Practice: NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct How Do Children Learn to Communicate? Components of Language Pragmatics Semantics Syntax Graphophonics Overview of Language Development Theories of Language Acquisition Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Classroom Activities to Support Language Development Conclusion Research-Based Literacy Strategies Having Phonological Awareness and Learning to Recognize Rhymes Using Environmental Print Using Children's Names to Foster Language Development 4 Helping Young Children Become Better Listeners Fact File on Listening What Is Effective Listening? Collaboration with Families and Professionals Contributions and Consequences Standards to Guide Professional Practice: When to Make Referrals for Hearing Assessment Why Is Listening Important? Developmental Overview of Children's Listening Abilities Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Classroom Activities to Support Listening Conclusion Research-Based Literacy Strategies Audiobooks Word Families: Onsets and Rimes Directed Listening/Thinking Activity (DLTA) and Discussion Web 5 Supporting the Speaking Abilities of the Very Young Fact File on Speaking What Is a Positive Talk Environment? Collaboration with Families and Professionals Contributions and Consequences Standards to Guide Professional Practice: Bilingual Education How Do Young Children Use Speech? Developmental Overview of Children's Speech Communicative and Noncommunicative Speech Understanding Chlidren's Language Problems Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Classroom Activities to Develop Children's Speaking Conclusion Research-Based Literacy Strategies K-W-L Plus Speech-to-Text Software Electronic Talking Books 6 Using Narrative and Expository Texts to Foster Growth in Literacy Fact File on Narrative and Expository Texts What Are Narrative and Expository Texts? Collaboration with Families and Professionals Contributions and Consequences Standards to Guide Professional Practice: Mastering Narrative and Expository Texts Overview of Children's Narrative and Expository Styles Narrative Text Expository Text Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Classroom Activities to Support Children's Mastery of Narrative and Expository Texts Conclusion Research-Based Literacy Strategies Wordless Books Reading Information Books Aloud Captioned Video PART THREE / Literacy with Print 7 Fostering Growth in Emergent Literacy Fact File on Emergent Literacy What Is Emergent Literacy? Collaboration with Families and Professionals Contributions and Consequences Standards to Guide Professional Practice: Language-Learning Disabilities in Young Children Developmental Overview of Emergent Reading Understanding What a Book Is Understanding How a Book Works Becoming a Listener and a Participant Inventing Stories to Go with Illustrations Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Classroom Activities to Support Emergent Reading Conclusion Research-Based Literacy Strategies "Word Walls" "Talking" Reading Support Programs The Shared Book Experience and Repeated Reading Appendix 7.1 8 Supporting Early and Independent Reading with Anita Iaquinta Fact File on Early and Independent Reading What Is Early and Independent Reading? What Children Need to Become Readers Reading Difficulties Collaboration with Families and Professionals Contributions and Consequences Standards to Guide Professional Practice: Language-Learning Disabilities Developmental Overview of Early and Independent Reading Focus on Print, Meaning, and Story Knowledge Focus on Word Configuration and Sound/Symbol Correspondence Coordinating Knowledge of Print and Story Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Classroom Activities to Support Early and Independent Reading Conclusion Research-Based Literacy Strategies Free Voluntary Reading and "Summer Slump" Readers' Theater Guided Reading Appendix 8.1 9 Leading Young Children to Literature Fact File on Children's Literature What Is Literature for Young Children? Collaboration with Families and Professionals Contributions and Consequences Standards to Guide Professional Practice: Evaluation Questions for Picture Books Overview of Children's Literature Reasons for Using Literature Ways of Using Literature Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Classroom Activities to Support Responses to Literature Conclusion Research-Based Literacy Strategies Reading with Companion Animals Bilingual Children's Literature and Second-Language Acquisition Literature Circles and Book Discussions PART FOUR / Written Language and Symbol Systems 10 Facilitating Expression through Drawing and Writing Fact File on Drawing and Writing Relationship between Drawing and Writing Collaboration with Families and Professionals Contributions and Consequences Standards to Guide Professional Practice: The Process Approach to Writing Developmental Overview of Children's Drawing and Writing Prealphabetic Writing and Nonrepresentational Drawing Alphabetic Writing and Representational Drawing Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Classroom Activities to Support Children's Drawing and Writing Conclusion Research-Based Literacy Strategies "Talking" Drawings Multimedia Composing Gender Influences on Children's Drawing and Writing 11 Understanding Media Influences and Applying Technology Fact File on Media Influences and Technology What Are the Mass Media? What Is Media Literacy? Collaboration with Families and Professionals Contributions and Consequences Standards to Guide Professional Practice: The NAEYC on Technology in Early Childhood Programs Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Classroom Activities to Support Media Awareness and Application of Technology Conclusion Research-Based Literacy Strategies Educational Television and Literacy Online Publishing of Children's Drawing and Writing Internet-Based Communication and E-Pals PART FIVE / The Teacher of Language Arts 12 Designing and Managing a Language Arts Program Fact File on Language Arts Programs What Is a Balanced Curriculum? Collaborating with Families and Professionals Contributions and Consequences Standards to Guide Professional Development: High-Quality Early Literacy Programs Overview of How Early Childhood Educators Shape the Curriculum Reflecting on a Philosophy Arranging the Physical Environment Grouping for Instruction Managing Behavior Designing Learning Experiences Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Classroom Activities to Support Diverse Language Learners Conclusion Research-Based Literacy Strategies Design Features of Literacy Environments Effective Learning Centers Reading Recovery and Tutorial Programs 13 Documenting Children's Progress in the Language Arts Fact File on Assessment What Is Assessment? Collaboration with Families and Professionals Contributions and Consequences Standards to Guide Professional Practice: Assessment Principles and Federal Legislation Overview of Assessment Traditional Testing Evaluating Language Arts Programs Teacher Concerns and Basic Strategies Observation Portfolios Documentation Conclusion Research-Based Literacy Strategies Assessing Reading Attitudes, Interests, and Motivation Electronic Literacy Assessment, Feedback, and Management Text-to-Speech Software References Children's Books and Media Index

Gender-Typical Style in Written Language.

Abstract: Three lines of inquiry bear on the supposition that women's written language differs from men's in socially significant ways: (1) research on women's speech, (2) analyses of women's belles lettres, and (3) research on women's epistemology. This study was designed to test the supposition that male and female writing styles differ. College students' writing was subjected to a variety of lexical, syntactic, and text-level analyses for features that have been linked to writers' gender in previous research and theory. To determine whether gender differences were more pronounced in spontaneous expressive writing to an intimate audience, relative to revised instrumental writing to a distant audience, compositions representing these polar extremes were elicited. In addition to considering writers' biological gender, the design of the study took into account measured gender role orientation as described in androgyny theory. Overall, the results of this study warrant the view that the writing of men and women is far more similar one to the other than different. Differences due to mode of discourse were more widespread than differences due to gender. Still, where male and female styles did diverge, they differed in predicted directions. For example, women used far more exclamation points than did men. In addition, women were more likely than men to acknowledge the legitimacy of opposing points of view. The findings of this study can inform discussions of instructional proposals regarding gender and writing.

A Method for Analyzing Sentence-Level Differences in Disciplinary Knowledge Making:

Abstract: This article proposes a method for examining how disciplinary differences in knowledge making are created or reflected at the sentence level. The method focuses on the grammatical subjects of sente...

Can theories of word recognition remain stubbornly nonphonological

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter reveals that the stubborn rejection of phonology in the prevailing theories of reading cannot be sustained within a consistent theory of language processing that accommodates all of the facts, not just those that are convenient. The bulk of research on word identification using English language materials has been taken to implicate the dominance of a visual access route with, perhaps, an optional but not preferred phonological route. Data on word identification using Serbo-Croatian language materials point unequivocally to a nonoptional phonological access route. The basic mechanism of written language processing is assumed to be the same for all languages. Different data patterns among languages, therefore, are to be taken as evidence of the ways in which that mechanism can be fine-tuned by the structure of a particular language. Some differences and similarities among Serbo-Croatian, English, and Hebrew are used to elucidate possible features of a written language processing mechanism that would allow such patterns to arise. Given the nature of the data that have been obtained with Serbo-Croatian, such a mechanism must allow for automatic prelexical phonology. The chapter discusses the assumption that all writing systems are phonological, they provide a system for transcribing phonologically any possible word of the language. The variety of orthographies does this in more or less straightforward ways, resulting in their being phonologically shallow or deep.

Computer-Based Reading and Spelling Practice for Children with Learning Disabilities

Abstract: To examine the effects of computer-based reading and spelling practice on the development of reading and spelling skills, a pretest-training-posttest experiment was conducted in The Netherlands. Eleven girls and 17 boys with written language disorders (on the average, 9 years, 7 months old and performing 2 grades below age expectancy) practiced hard-to-read words under three conditions: reading from the computer screen, copying from the screen, and writing from memory after presentation on the screen. For all words, whole-word sound was available on call during practice. To assess learning effects, both a dictation and a read-aloud task were administered in which nonpracticed control words were also presented. During training, the computer kept record of several aspects of the pupils' learning behavior. It was found that copying words from the screen resulted in significantly fewer spelling errors on the posttest than writing words from memory, and that both forms of spelling practice led to fewer spelling errors than only reading words during practice. All three forms of practice improved to the same degree both the accuracy and fluency of reading the practiced words aloud. The way in which spelling and reading practice, in combination with speech feedback, support the development of phonological skills in children with written language disorders is highlighted in the discussion.

Deafness & Literacy: Why Can't Sam Read?

Abstract: Success in teaching deaf pupils to read has not increased in many decades, but new conceptualizations of literacy, clear understanding that deafness is a human condition not a deficit, and recent research on how deaf families accomplish what schools often do not–all point to better ways of introducing deaf children to written language.

Whistle for Willie, Lost Puppies, and Cartoon Dogs: The Sociocultural Dimensions of Young Children's Composing

Abstract: No greater challenge currently faces the schools than articulating what a literacy curriculum for sociocultural diversity might look like. And yet the literature on young school children's composing has dealt only peripherally with this issue. In this theoretical essay, the author argues that, even for young children, composing of both oral and written texts (i.e., planning, responding, revising) is a distinctly sociocultural process that involves making decisions, conscious or otherwise, about how one figures into the social world at any one point in time. Drawing on data from an ethnographic project in an urban school, she allows young children's composing processes sociocultural depth and breadth by highlighting variation in the kind of oral and written language genres a child uses, in the kinds of discourse traditions a child draws upon, and in the kind of relationships a child author enacts with others. The author concludes with a discussion of the implications of a sociocultural perspective on young...

The Evolution of the Young Child's Concept of "Word" as a Unit of Spoken and Written Language

Abstract: T he recent shift from the "reading readiness" paradigm to description of the "emergent literacy" process has led to new appreciation of the important language knowledge that young children bring to formal reading instruction. The relationship between oral and written language is one of the critical concepts of emerging literacy. An important element of both spoken and written language is the unit word. Previous researchers have established that there is a relationship between aspects of understanding the term word and beginning reading ability (Bowey, Tunmer, & Pratt, 1984; Ehri, 1979; Henderson, 1980; Lomax & McGee, 1987; Morris, 1980). Word is a particularly difficult construct to define. There is no consensus about its definition, even among linguists (Sulzby, 1986). But word is one of the terms in the reading instruction register (Downing, 1976) and is used frequently from the very beginning of formal reading instruction. Many children come to school without knowing what a word is (Adams, 1990), even at the level used in beginning reading instruction. Understanding how knowledge of the concept of word evolves, the focus of this study, can offer useful insights into the developmental nature of children's thinking, though significant linguistic questions will likely remain unanswered. The purposes of this study were twofold: (a) to describe the development of some aspects of the concept of word which are related to beginning reading, and (b) to investigate the relationship between cognitive development and acquisition of the concept of word. The design of the study allowed for examination of the evolution of children's concept of word over time. Dimensions of the concept of word

Computers and Writing: State of the Art

Abstract: Patrik O'Brian Holt Heriot-Watt University After speech, writing is the most common form of human communication and represents the cornerstone of our ability to preserve and record information. Writing, by its very definition, requires artifacts in the form of tools to write with and a medium to write on. Through history these artifacts have ranged from sticks and clay tablets, feather and leather, crude pens and paper, sophisticated pens and paper, typewriters and paper; and electronic devices with or without paper. The development of writing tools has straightforward objectives, to make writing easier and more effective and assist in distributing written communication fast and efficiently. Both the crudest and most sophisticated forms of writing tools act as mediators of human written communication for the purpose of producing, distributing and conserving written language. In the modern world the computer is arguably the most sophisticated form of mediation, the implications of which are not yet fully understood. The use of computers (a writing artifact which mediates communication) for the production and editing of text is almost as old as computers themselves. Early computers involved the use of crude text editors and a writer had to insert commands resembling a programming language to format and print a document. For example to underline a word the writer had to do the following, This is an example of how to .ul underline a single word. in order to produce: This is an example of how to underline a single word.

Dimensions of register variation in Somali

Abstract: The present study uses a multidimensional approach to analyze the linguistic characteristics of Somali spoken and written registers. Somali is unusual in that it has a very short history of literacy (only since 1973), but at present it has a wide range of written and spoken registers, including governmental, educational, and public information uses. It thus represents a very different language type from previously described languages. We analyze the distribution of 65 linguistic features across 279 texts from 26 spoken and written registers, using factor analysis to identify five major dimensions of variation. None of these dimensions defines an absolute dichotomy between spoken and written registers, although three of the dimensions can be considered “oral/literate” parameters. As in the multidimensional analyses of other languages, the present study shows that no single dimension adequately describes the relations among spoken and written registers; rather, each dimension reflects a different set of communicative functions relating to the purpose, general topic, degree of interactiveness, personal involvement, production circumstances, and other physical mode characteristics. In the conclusion, we briefly discuss our findings relative to previous multidimensional analyses of English, Tuvaluan, and Korean, laying the foundation for cross-linguistic analyses of universal tendencies of register variation.

Curriculum-Based Measures of Written Expression for Learning-Disabled and Nondisabled Students.

Abstract: This study examined differences in written expression between a sample of learning-disabled and nondisabled middle school students, matched by grade and sex, using eight curriculum-based measures. All of the learning-disabled students had been identified as having written language deficits as part of their handicapping conditions. The nondisabled students showed superior written expression skills, especially on the production-independent measures. Implications of these results are discussed in relation to psycho educational assessment, the use of CBM for ongoing assessment of written expression, and future studies.

Individualizing the assessment of language abilities

Abstract: Social aspects of individual assessment, Bernard Spolsky learner-centred testing through computers - institutional issues in individual assessment, J.Charles Alderson national issues in individual assessment - the consideration of specialization bias in university language screening tests, Grant Henning psychometric aspects of individual assessment, Geofferey N.Masters individual learning styles in classroom second language development, Rod Ellis comprehension of sentences and of intersential relations by 11 to 15-year-old pupils, Denis Levasseur and Michel Page discourse organization in oral and written language - critical contrasts for literacy and schooling, Rosalind Horowitz indeterminacy in first and second languages - theoretical and methodological issues, Antonella Sorace an experiment in individualization using technological support, Norma Norrish discrete focus vs. global tests - performance on selected verb structures, Harry L.Gradman and Edith Hanania operationalizing uncertainty in language testing - an argument in favour of content validity, Alan Davies minority languages and mainstream culture - problems of equity and assessment, Mary Kalantzis et al the role of prior knowledge and language proficiency as predictors of reading comprehension among undergraduates the language testing interview - a reappraisal, Gillian Perrett directions in testing for specific purposes, Gill Westway et al.

Writing scientific English: overcoming intercultural problems

Abstract: “Publish in English or perish!” has become a slogan frequently heard in non-English-speaking academic contexts all over the world. For many nations, proficiency in spoken and written English has become a must. But achieving such proficiency involves problems and hard work. This paper discusses some of the intercultural problems of writing academic English in a non-English context, namely in Finland. A further issue addressed in this paper is the training of language teachers to teach writing courses in academic English in such a context. It is argued that before such courses are designed for academic non-native writers and for teachers of such writers, it is essential to conduct textlinguistic research into the cultural and linguistic differences in writing practices which exist between the source and target languages. As will be shown, such textlinguistic research gives us vital information on cohesion and coherence problems that non-native writers of English have in areas such as thematic patternings, reference and connectors. The results show that for linguists, as well as for teachers and writers, textlinguistics offers convenient tools for analysing, understanding, and correcting intercultural linguistic problems in writing. Furthermore, the results of the analyses feed directly into the design of academic writing courses in English for non-native writers and into the training of teachers for such courses.

The Case of the Singing Scientist: A Performance Perspective on the “Stages” of School Literacy

Abstract: This article, based on a year-long project in an urban K/1 classroom offers a case study of a young child who used school writing activities to perform rather than simply to communicate. A performer differs from a mere communicator in both the nature of language produced and in the kind of stance taken toward an audience. Although the child's language resources contributed to his success with written language, they did not always fit comfortably into the “writing workshop” used in his classroom; in fact, his assumptions about written language and texts conflicted in revealing ways with those undergirding a workshop approach. Thus, the study helps make explicit many unexamined assumptions of current written language pedagogies, particularly those involving the nature of literary sense, the relationship between writers' “audience” and their “helpers,” and most important, the links between oral performance, literacy pedagogy, and the use of the explicit, analytic language valued in school.

Typeface emphasis and information focus in written language

Abstract: This paper looks at the typographical resource of written emphasis (changing the typeface style on specific words or passages within text)–for signalling information focus. Some investigations into the effects of two conventional typefaces, upper case and italic, for signalling modulatory and contrastive stress upon word content are reported, illustrating the effectiveness of strategies using this resource for economically transmitting intended content from writer to reader. At this time of heightened interest in writing competence, and the potential of electronic writing systems for providing more typographical resources to the author than were available with pen-and-paper or typewriting modes, the function of paralinguistic signalling within written language is suggested as a key issue for research.

Codeswitching for humour and ethnic identity: Written Danish‐American occasional songs

Abstract: This study examines individual bilingual language performance in occasional songs, focusing on the use of Danish and English, by a female member of a Danish‐American organisation, Harmonien, based in Seattle, Washington. The subject occupied the dual role of Harmonien's song writer producing occasional songs for its celebrations, or for events in the lives of members, and its secretary who took minutes of its regular meetings. A prior study of her written performance as secretary, conditioned by the constraints of social role and format of the minutes, forms the backdrop to this study. An analysis of the two types of data is performed comparing the scope for creative employment of bilingual resources in the two genres. The findings confirm the hypothesis of a conditioning effect of features of genre and social role on the exploitation of two codes in writing. Occasional songs, as an expression of Harmonien group belonging and ethnic distinctiveness, contained not only types of transfer characteri...

Expressing Causation in Written English.

Abstract: This article reports a study of the ways in which the notion of causation is expressed in written British English. The focus of the study was on how causation is marked or expressed explicitly in t...