Second language students are often discouraged in trying to acquire oral fluency skills. Four specific problem areas are: (1) timidity; (2) listening comprehension difficulties; (3) oral reading problems; and (4) difficulty in putting sentences together. An approach that emphasizes writing skills avoids these problem areas and uses skills the…

Finds that text material in final (end-of-school) French oral examinations in Germany do not correspond with the accomplishment to be expected of the students, in both appropriateness and degree of difficulty. Offers criteria, sample texts, and suggestions regarding reasonable requirements. (IFS/WGA)

If the non-native teacher of English as a foreign language hopes to approach a high standard of oral competence in the language, he must cultivate some conscious perception and control of intonation. He can achieve this objective in various ways. Situations in which natural speech occurs would be ideal but few teachers have the opportunity for…

Suggests the use of jokes in the English as a second language class to promote oral fluency, awareness of sociolinguistic rules, and understanding of certain values in American culture. (CFM)

The official endorsement given to second languages by both the provincial and federal governments in Canada is reviewed, and reasons why second languages may be an important component of a basic education program are proposed. The question of which second language might be taught in schools is also addressed. The agreement to cooperate with the…

This special issue consists of the following seven articles on communicative competence: (1) "Psycholinguistics and Language Teaching," by Elisabeth Ingram; (2) "Current Trends in Language Teaching at the C.R.A.P.E.L.," by Philip Riley; (3) "Who Needs a Teacher? - An Alternative to the 'Conversation Class'," by Ken…

This paper presents historical information about language teaching methods and focuses on "formal" and "functional" strategies of teaching and learning. Particular attention is directed toward the immersion type of education. A table that lists developments in language teaching theory from 1840-1977 is presented. A table that summarizes…

The A-LM German materials are analyzed in terms of their weakness and positive features, and suggestions for their use and adaptation are presented. It is argued that: the basic dialogue is almost unusable; the structure drills are repetitive and often not challenging; the taped arrangement of the listening exercises is awkward; the dialogue…