Starting with H.W. Seliger's distinction between second language learning strategies (abstract cognitive functions used to acquire knowledge) and learning tactics (activities learner uses to acquire language), presents the most important tactics and comments on which learner characteristics and teaching methods take advantage of them. Tactics…

Describes the establishment of SEASPEAK (an international maritime English), a restricted, regularized sublanguage for use in ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communication. Discusses a project by which this sublanguage is being tested and developed, with the intention of producing a reference manual of recommended language and procedures of…

Describes the efforts made at one school to provide language students with contacts with international visitors. (KM)

This paper demonstrates effective strategies for helping Taiwanese English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students participate in extensive and active viewing of Chinese-subtitled films outside of the classroom, focusing on how appropriate strategies for watching Chinese-subtitled Hollywood films in authentic viewing environments can guide students…

Provides a general overview of factors affecting foreign language learning, and discusses how they are related to one another. (EKN)

Describes student tours to the Soviet Union, discussing the benefits to be derived from such experiences by both students and leaders. In particular, discusses the organization of the tours, their types and costs, advertising strategies, suggested itineraries and guidebooks, student orientation and group composition, and problems encountered…

A discussion of the poor reading achievement of hearing-impaired children identifies the two-way communication involved in the reading process, traces the language development of those born to deaf and hearing parents, and suggests viewing American Sign Language as a separate and complete language from English. (Author/CL)

Describes a computer-assisted learning system that was developed for use by second language students and remedial English students. These students are provided free access to a wide variety of instructional materials via the computer terminals. The workings of the computer programs are described along with sample input-output exchanges.…

Suggests that while slavish, excessive memorization is a habit that hinders the development of critical skills while stifling originality and precision, in certain cases the best approach is to accept the memorization habit partially, in order to exploit it for its own eventual elimination. Capitalizing on students' intellectual curiosity…

A modified version of the traditional dictation exercise is recommended in order to answer two unmet needs which caused such exercises to fall into disfavor: the systematic teaching of specific points, and the use of authentic linguistic samples. (JB)

Discusses the ineffectiveness of one-phase marking, i.e. direct correction of errors by the teacher, and the effectiveness of two-phase marking in which the teacher makes the student aware of an error but does not indicate what the error is. (CFM)

Discusses the importance of the humanities, particularly language study, to the pursuit of knowledge. (AM)

Explains a classroom presentation of verb forms and tense functions based on the communicative needs of the students rather than on the full paradigm of each verb tense. Arguments for the use of this natural approach and an association model to facilitate vocabulary acquisition are presented. (PMJ)

Discusses the use of humor in the language classroom, and provides some sample activities in Italian. (AM)

Presents a set of rules for learning grammatical gender in French. (AM)