The purpose of this paper is to examine the term ‘agassi’ by analyzing the pattern of actual language use of it in the aspect of sociolinguistic perspective. Through this work, it will be possible to figure out the change of meaning of the ‘agassi’, and the causes of conflict situations of using it in modern society. In chapter 2, the difference between ‘agassi’ as an address term and as a reference term is represented. Chapter 3 shows the chronicle change in the use of ‘agassi’ being originated from its etymology, ‘agissi’. It turns out that the use of ‘agassi’ has evolved for in the order of Honorific form, kinship and Non-Honorific form. Chapter 4 investigates the tendency and its cause of the negative interpretation of ‘agassi’ in modern society. The reason why the address term ‘agassi’ causes social displeasure is because it is regarded as ‘sexual objectification’. It can be subdivided into three categories: ‘agassi’ is (1) the expression that emphasis sex in social life, (2) associated with specific occupational groups which is socially unacceptable, and (3) used often in the situation of sexual harassment.

This study examined what the effects of computer discussions on interactive English language use of students who were considered reticent in class, and their perceptions of self-efficacy and language anxiety, and how different individual types of students would interact with the different contexts of oral and computer discussions. Data were collected using quantitative methods for discussion data and self-efficacy and language anxiety measures, and qualitative methods for interview and class observation from an advanced ESL writing class. The results indicated that the computer discussions seemed to help reticent students enhance their quantitative productivity in discussions, but it did not necessarily elicit more sophisticated and complex English language from these students. The analyses for students’ self-efficacy and anxiety measures further suggested that the computer discussions could contribute to lowering students’ language anxiety but not to improvement of their self-efficacy. In addition, the qualitative analysis illustrated that the students of one participant group would establish different emotional experience from those of the other group in the oral discussions. Then, the experiences of these students seemed to be created differently within the novel context of computer discussions.