This paper presents FipsOrtho, a spell checker targeted at learners of French, and a corpus of learners' errors which has been gathered to test the system and to get a sample of specific language learners' errors. Spell checkers are a standard feature of many software products, however they are not designed for specific language learners' errors.…

Four grammar checkers, all of French Canadian origin, were evaluated: "Le Correcteur 101,""GramR,""Hugo Plus," and "French Proofing Tools." Results indicate that "Le Correcteur 101" is the best French grammar checker on the market and worth its premium cost. (two references) (CK)

Issues in computerized analysis of language usage are discussed, focusing on the problems encountered as computers, linguistics, and language teaching converge. The tools of automated language and error analysis are outlined and specific problems are illustrated in several types of classroom exercise. (MSE)

The strategy used in "Miniprof," a program designed to provide "intelligent" instruction on elementary topics in French, is described. At an erroneous response, the program engages the student in a Socratic dialog and uses three major functions: parsing, error diagnostics, and tutoring. (10 references) (Author/LB)

A brief explanation of how the Garden Path second-language correction technique induces students to make errors that teachers can immediately correct precedes an exploration of why the strategy works, its usefulness in teaching grammatical structures, and its compatibility with an interactive approach to foreign language teaching. (25 references)…

Discusses suffix stripping algorithms used in information retrieval to cluster words derived from a common root under the same stem, and proposes a suffixing algorithm for French which uses grammatical categories to enhance the stemming process. An evaluation of the algorithm is discussed, and an analysis of errors is described. (17 references)…

Describes an attempt to build a computer-assisted language instruction program which can trap and comment on grammatical errors such as subject/verb agreement by a purely syntactic analysis, that is, without recourse to word meanings. The program aims to increase educational effectiveness and to reduce the number of separate stored answers.…

Focuses on understanding the mechanisms that underlie the production of homophone confusions in writing. The article overviews five experiments demonstrating that the homophone effect can be experimentally induced in French adults. Findings are interpreted in the framework of an activation model. (45 references) (Author/CK)

Based on the premise that teaching basic writing involves first understanding what tends to go wrong when students write, a computer assisted system of error prediction and analysis was designed to improve college students' writing skills in both English and French. Students were to complete a sequenced series of writing assignments first in…

Reviews the results of six studies which indicated that the output of students involved in an immersion program was linguistically faulty, and suggests ways in which immersion programs can be made more effective and lead to greater linguistic competence as well as communicative competence in its students. (CB)

Reports on the speech difficulties of four French immersion anglophone students participating in a three-month interlinguistic exchange. Each student was interviewed three times, and the transcripts were analyzed for linguistic, sociolinguistic, and sociocultural errors in oral French and for performance evaluation by the students. (51 references)…

Discusses problems with correct verb use in the written work of students studying French. Examiners' reports indicate that the standard of verb use is declining, while the literature reveals that verb learning has inherent difficulties. The article critiques computer-assisted instruction and proposes a new approach. (23 references) (Author/CK)

Presents essential principles to consider when designing free-form remedial/tutorial program courseware for second language learning. They include: (1) adaptability, in terms of instruction requirements and user population needs; (2) user-friendliness, to reduce machine-induced fears; (3) sophistication in error analysis; and (4) flexibility, to…