  A spin-wave theory of short-range order in the square lattice Heisenberg
antiferromagnet is formulated. With growing temperature from T=0 a gapless mode
is shown to arise simultaneously with opening a gap in the conventional
spin-wave mode. The spectral intensity is redistributed from the latter mode to
the former. For low temperatures the theory reproduces results of the modified
spin-wave theory by M.Takahashi, J.E.Hirsch et al. and without fitting
parameters gives values of observables in good agreement with Monte Carlo
results in the temperature range 0 <= T < 0.8J where J is the exchange
constant.
