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Concentration on the formal features of language and on developing speaking skills in a second language fails to provide the language student with the necessary level of conversational ability. The concept of communicative competence has resulted in a new emphasis on the nature of interaction and the rules of discourse. Interest has shifted from studies on language structure to studies on social interaction, the meaning of utterances, and the functions of speech. This paper explores how recent advances in sociolinguistics and discourse analysis can aid one's understanding of the roles and privileges of teachers and students engaged in verbal interaction and how verbal behavior can be changed or acquired for greater conversational competence. Areas discussed include: (1) natural discourse (speech acts, pragmatics, turn taking, moves, topic), (2) natural discourse and first and second language acquisition, (3) classroom discourse, and (4) practical applications (including exercises for developing skills for participating in debates and discussions). Excerpts from English, French, and German language conversations are cited throughout. The appendices present hesitation and expansion strategies in conversation and some conversational management strategies used by French and German native speakers. (JK)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert