Discusses the lack of motivation in the United States for learning foreign languages. Suggests that starting second languages earlier will produce more people both proficient in a second language and sensitive to other cultures. (EKN)

Discusses the work of Seiichi Makino, a scholar of Japanese, noting that his work in establishing the Japanese proficiency guidelines helped make it appear that Japanese language teaching was part of mainstream American language teaching. (Author/VWL)

Responds to criticism against the use of the oral proficiency interview for foreign language testing through examination of the concept of logic and language testing, components of speaking ability, and the limits of linguistic theory. (20 references) (CB)

Addresses the effectiveness of the oral proficiency interview in assessing foreign language skills, responding to arguments regarding the logic of the interview method, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) guidelines and levels of proficiency, and the relationship between linguistic knowledge and the bases of…

A discussion of the theoretical underpinnings of pragmatic approaches to foreign language testing focuses on why methods emphasizing holistic approaches to language through sensible experience are more effective than bit-by-bit, discrete-point, surface-oriented approaches that tend to neglect meaning. (21 references) (Author/CB)

Considers how the contributions of the proficiency movement and modern critical theory can be used to deal with literature in language and literature programs. In particular, the discussion looks at the possibility of applying some of the basic ideas and tools of proficiency-oriented language instruction to the way students work with literature.…

Suggests current scholarship has paid little attention to issues of linguistic differences and cultural translatability and points out the need for language departments offering courses in cultural, ethnic, and Diaspora studies to require proficiency in another language and to cultivate responsiveness to language politics at both the local and…

Explores the role of a course on Spanish cinema in an undergraduate, university-level curriculum in terms of its potential to acquaint students with significant cultural issues and to develop language skills. (Author/VWL)

Native speakers act as standard-providers, evaluators, and the evaluated in the development of oral proficiency interviews. Thus, proficiency guidelines cannot be accepted as valid until there is evidence that oral interviews and rating scales mirror the process of the native speaker, both in evaluating and in exhibiting proficiency. (CB)

Discusses the use of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Oral Proficiency Interview for assessing the effect of study abroad on foreign language learning, and provides a detailed account of the use of the Portuguese Speaking Test as a means of assessing participants of a summer program in Brazil. (15 references) (JL)

Describes the Chinese-language program at Portland State University. Elements of this program include newspaper and classical courses; textbooks from China, Taiwan, and English-speaking countries; the use of characters on the first day; and a diverse student body. The university's goal is to make a solid Chinese education available to anyone in…

The study and appreciation of literature should retain its traditional position at the center of foreign language study. A "problem-centered" model is described for teaching literature in the undergraduate foreign language classroom using texts organized around a series of complex critical problems. (CB)

Ten colleges and universities and the Educational Testing Service participated in a project that involved testing the Foreign Service Institute's French and Spanish oral proficiency test for possible academic applicability. (AM)

Responses of 155 state language supervisors, local education agency representatives, leaders of foreign language associations, and others to a questionnaire regarding states' development or adoption of guidelines to improve articulation or proficiency standards revealed that most states are engaged in devising or have devised some sort of…

Describes a pilot project to deal with the problem of articulating postsecondary language study. This project consists of 1 elementary school immersion teacher and 21 foreign language teachers from high schools and colleges. The project has the potential of effecting a statewide adoption of proficiency standards and an improvement in the quality…