In commercial materials for the teaching of second language (L2) pronunciation, common bottom-up approaches segment phonology into a series of discrete and decontextualized linguistic components with rules that students are encouraged to internalize. Such approaches seem out of step with recent second language acquisition (SLA) theory and research…

A study investigated which of many possible variables in the student's language learning background (formal learning, exposure and use in class, extracurricular exposure and use, attitudes and motivation) were important in second-language learning. Subjects were 101 students in intensive English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL). Several success factors…

Because interaction gives language learners an opportunity to modify their speech upon a signal of noncomprehension, it should also have a positive effect on native speakers' (NS) comprehension of nonnative speakers (NNS). This study shows that interaction does help NSs comprehend NNSs, contrasting the claims of an earlier study that found no…

Development of an intensive course in English which is offered to Dutch businessmen at the Netherland's School of Business is described in this article. The duration, scope, and level of the two-week conversational course are examined with particular emphasis on problems characteristic of this type of program. The author includes a sample program…