An inventory for storing data on a sociocultural system was designed (a) to favor the emergence of a structural-functional model, and (b) to generate the descriptive knowledge most useful for a practical understanding of the life style. Thirty sections are grouped into four subsystems, adapted from those of the sociologist Talcott Parsons: the…

The current crisis in foreign language instruction is largely the result of a general disillusionment with methods, objectives, and achievements, in fact with the whole philosophy that has determined foreign language programs in the U.S. for the last 15-20 years. Today, the primary goal of foreign language instruction must be reemphasized. This…

This paper describes Leondard Bloomfield's contributions to the description and instruction of German. Bloomfield's approach is reflected in this textbook "First German Book" which appeared in 1923 and was revised in 1928. The organization and structure of the text are described here in detail, and the differences between the first and…

This is an alphabetized list of 400 frequent German words for rapid checking against the end glossaries of elementary German textbooks. The emphasis is on words that would not automatically be included in any such textbook as part of the structural and morphological inventory of German. Words on the list were selected from the list in order of…

This bibliography is divided into two main sections. The first section cites general studies having to do with the psychology of foreign language learning. The second section cites books, sections of books, and articles dealing specifically with motivation in language learning. Entries include European and American publications, and most have been…

Since trends in foreign language, especially English as a Second Language (ESL), instruction, move like a pendulum between audio-linguistic and traditional methods, the safest approach by which teachers can respond to the special needs of their students is through individualized instruction. That method maximizes the realization of individual…

This issue of the Yazigi Institute's bimonthly newsletter is devoted to a discussion of the importance of humor in the teaching and learning of a foreign language. It begins with several quotations from well-known linguists, humorists and teachers about the need for humor in the language class. Several examples of humor in the textbooks of the…

The present paper, a general survey of modern foreign language teaching as it is influenced by applied linguistics, discusses some of the outstanding works and foremost theories in the areas of psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, programmed instruction, and contrastive analysis. In discussing the methodology involved in foreign language teaching,…

This paper discusses ways in which the findings of phonetic research, especially in the area of articulatory phonetics, can be applied to language teaching. Phonetic descriptions of a relatively sophisticated sort are seen to be useful in language pedagogy in several ways: (1) by providing the student with a knowledge of what he's trying to do…

Students of Japanese history (graduate students with language competence seeking a career in Japanese studies, undergraduates studying the Japanese language, and non-linguist undergraduates and graduate students studying Japanese history for a variety of reasons) have to deal with the Japanese language in different ways. They should all, however,…

In this paper the author hopes to "persuade methodologists and foreign language teachers to attack the problem of foreign language acquisition" from what he considers to be a "more strategic angle." He is concerned with how language proficiency, rather than the individual skills, can be taught. The author doubts whether it is…

The author poses this question: When the learning of science is carried on in a foreign language, is the extent and nature of concept-formation different from that required of the student who learns science entirely in his mother tongue? Because the term "scientific concept" is ambiguous, the author suggests five distinct definitions--four groups…

This newsletter begins with an editorial on the purposes and methods of individualizing foreign language instruction. Mirta R. Vega describes an individualized Spanish course for English speakers, produced by the Dade Co. Public Schools, Miami, Florida. Also presented is a list, compiled by Robert McClennan, of the potential problems of foreign…

This historical overview of German studies in Japan, dating from the birth of modern Japan in the 1870's to the present time, includes commentary on the nature and scope of existing language programs. The importance of German idealism--reflected in the philosophy of Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and Marx--on Japanese culture is noted.…

This article makes two points about foreign language: (1) proper pronunciation is indispensable to initial accuracy and comprehension, as well as to later study of literature and culture; and (2) the best approach to pronunciation is based on the native language as a contrastive model. Taking as an example the learning of German by…