Cross-cultural blunders caused by inappropriate use of language are a common problem in international professional communication. They cause misunderstanding, lead to business failures, and tend to be offensive at times. Such blunders may occur in business ads, slogans, products names, and instructions. Understanding their causes and finding…

Examines the use of French and Dutch personal and possessive pronouns in the first person plural in internal communication documents. Focuses on the link between text types and the use of inclusive, exclusive, or ambiguous "we." Demonstrates that managers can exploit personal pronouns strategically and that the use of "we" is a parameter for…

Claims that two social values in science--falsifiability of scientific theories and cooperation among scientists--determine use of passives in scientific communication. Concludes that educators must help science students understand how the social values in science are embodied in scientific passives and help them gain insights into how scientists…

Outlines Willard Van Orman Quine's theory of language in the generation of empirical knowledge, gleaned from two works from his voluminous ouvre. Draws connections between Quine's theory and that of Richard Rorty, the American pragmatist philosopher. Sketches how this theoretical perspective can be applied in the technical communication classroom…

Argues the infinitive phrase has not been taken seriously in writing because writers have been too concerned with Bishop Robert Lowth's proscription against the split infinitive. Notes that examination of three types of technical prose (instructions, annual reports, and "junk mail") reveals that more than one sentence in four contains an…

Reviews and compares views of grammarians, usage experts, and authors of technical writing books concerning "dangling participles." Finds many unattached clauses are unacceptable, some are less objectionable, and still others are acceptable. Notes that cultural (and perhaps gender) differences between humanistic teachers and task-oriented…

Examines some examples of discourse practices among managers and employees in the customer service department of a large manufacturing firm. Shows how knowledge of the ways that language can both include and exclude people from cultural groups in the worksite can help professional communicators facilitate more effective and responsible…

Outlines the processes behind four master tropes (metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, and irony) and demonstrates instances where these tropes occur in the expression of scientific concepts. Shows that rhetorical and literary tropes are necessary components to a linguistic understanding of complex scientific concepts; that such tropes are, in fact,…

States that many technical writing handbooks advise avoiding passive voice. Identifies functions of passive as well as active voice by determining the frequencies of active and passive verbs in 185 documents written by 28 civilian and military members of the Air Force. Confirms the importance of agency in choice of active or passive; reveals other…

Tests the assumption that technical writers and editors assume readers are generally helped when nominalizations and the weak verbs that accompany them are replaced with the verb form of the nominalization. Indicates that denominalized text is most effective in helping native speakers focus on more important information, but for nonnative…

Focuses on technical sub-languages to reveal sociological functions of language that transcend mere transfer of substantive information. Finds one sociological feature, the shibboleth, acting widely throughout technical fields. (PA)

Points out that formalization of cognitive grammar is difficult to achieve within the present formulation of the grammar. Introduces a modification that will allow modeling the process of similarity. Suggests using analogical modeling. Indicates some consequences of the proposition for the practice of communication. (PA)

States that, although the passive voice may be overused in legal prose, legal writing guidebooks undervalue its uses. Introduces the passive voice and gives some possible reasons for its use. Outlines the many situations when the passive is more appropriate than the active voice. (PA)

Argues that exploring the written work of William Stillman of Rhode Island could help balance the appraisal of 19th-century American technical communication. Reviews the writing and graphics in his "Miscellaneous Compositions" (1851) and patents from 1836 and 1839. Concludes that Stillman had an unusual ability to mimic the biological methods in…

Notes differences of vocabulary, grammar, and usage in American English and British English which may cause difficulties. Maintains that, as international interchange of information increases, writers and editors must be alert to these differences and search for forms of expression common to both versions of English. (SR)