This issue of the "SLANT" Newsletter for researchers in second language acquisition is highlighted by a survey on research in Canada by Fred Genesee (including a bibliography and reports of research in progress), and a report on "Second Language Acquisition in the Middle East," by Gregory James. The latter article discusses…

THIS BEGINNING COURSE IS AN INTRODUCTION TO FULA (KNOWN VARIOUSLY AS FULANI, FUL, PEUL, OR PHEUL), A NIGER-CONGO LANGUAGE SPOKEN THROUGHOUT THE GRASSLAND AREAS OF WEST AFRICA FROM THE ATLANTIC TO CAMEROUN. THE TEXT IS ONE OF A SERIES OF SHORT BASIC COURSES IN SELECTED AFRICAN LANGUAGES BEING PREPARED BY THE FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE. IT IS…

The English verb is traditionally presented as having so many "tenses" that both students and teachers are confused. No real logic seems to hold the whole thing together, and teachers' explanations are often off the mark. Organizing verb forms in terms of past, present, and future is not only incorrect, but misleading. The linguist…

If literature is to be a useful vehicle for the teaching of second language skills, that literature must first succeed as a literary experience for the student. The failure of literary texts in second language teaching is often the result of a failure to encourage or even to allow students to receive such texts as literature, that is, as a…

Several recommendations are made for the improvement of Latin study. An unpublished Latin grammar textbook prepared for and used with first-year students is described. (RM)

Attacks the "tendency toward a technocratic pragmatization of scientific work" which is seen in the catalog "Guidelines for the FL teacher" by Bludau et. al. in this journal, 1973 No. 4. Takes a position in the controversy between these authors and K. Otten, English philologist. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Offers a systematic statement of the lexical differences between "noch" and "schon," which should serve teachers better than their intuitive feelings for those words. (IFS/WGA)

This position paper was presented to the President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies in October, 1978, and stressed the importance of providing Americans with opportunities to study foreign languages. (CFM)

Discusses, using German and Italian as an example, sentences containing the indefinite agent (German "man") and reflexive and passive constructions, showing contrasts between equivalent structures in the two languages. (IFS/WGA)

The rules usually taught for german word order and order of sentence elements are seen as inaccurate. A numerical system is proposed which takes from the Duden grammar the three-field system, using the predicate segments as an orientation point. (IFS/WGA)

In language teaching, the speech process must be viewed as a whole. An important element is speech attitude. This changes with the "distance" between the speakers and with the degree of mastery of the language possessed by each speaker. (IFS/WGA)

The speech rate of French and American radio broadcasters is compared in order to provide language teachers with an optimum speed. (AM)

Discusses French words that are spelled alike but have different pronunciations. In spite of existing rules of pronunciation, the prevailing spoken usage is to be taken as correct. "Reform" is seen as unlikely. The correct information must be found and taught bit by bit. (Text is in French.) (IFS/WGA)