A discussion of the role of national languages in an international context focuses on the situation of Europe, currently and in the foreseeable future, and particularly on the situation of multilingual Switzerland. The first section gives an overview of the status of national languages outside their own boundaries, especially in relation to…

This study investigated factors facilitating acquisition of Irish in Irish-medium playgroups designed for children who are native English-speakers. Data were gathered in four visits each to two such playgroups, each containing approximately 20 children. Four aspects of conversational exchanges were examined: understanding; code mixing; formulaic…

This paper analyzes a study by Fukushima (1990) of the English offers and responses of Japanese English as a foreign language (EFL) college students and reports on an experiment designed to address the perceived weaknesses of Fukushima's work. Fukushima's study found that many Japanese EFL learners could not use appropriate levels of politeness in…

A study investigated the relationship between language contacts made outside of the classroom by Japanese foreign students and how those contacts affect their participation within the classroom and their overall academic performance. Subjects were 32 university students from Japan enrolled in an intensive language program. All of the students had…

The concept of communicative competence, which has recently become so influential in language teaching, has resulted in a new emphasis on the nature of interaction. Questions concerning the communicative needs of language learners are raised with regard to the types of interaction they will participate in, the roles they will have, and the…

Spanish, English, and American Indian languages in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico and bilingualism and language contact in the region are addressed in a collection of articles. Approaches to research in the languages of this region are discussed in articles by Valdes, Lope Blanch, and Brandt. Cultural and sociolinguistic…

The determination of Objectives conditions the choice of materials, methods, and evaluation of results in all stages of foreign language learning. The first level is a necessary foundation, but by itself is insufficient for the study of literature or for communication purposes in a new linguistic milieu. The fundamental notion of language styles…

The need to adapt or modify the use of given textbooks and other language teaching materials to fit the requirements of particular learning situations, and even particular students, is widely recognized. This volume presents a systematic approach to adaptation useful for methods courses as well as for the experienced teacher or curriculum planner.…

This work is intended to find replies to practical questions, such as how well native speakers of Spanish are decoded by native speakers of English, which errors interfere with decoding by the listener, and what the implications of the study might be for teaching. Fifteen Chileans were asked to tell stories in English, and several panels of native…

The article criticizes present-day overemphasis of contrastive analysis procedures in second language instruction. Recommendations are for language teachers to reappraise their classroom objectives and to give paramount importance to mastery of language use rather than mastery of language structure. Pedagogical procedures based on situational…

Some basic problems of current lower-division foreign language instruction are discussed from the standpoint of real-life language use, and specific measures for meeting some of the problems are suggested for learning German as a second language. Some of the significant discrepancies between the use of a language in real life and in the language…

Progress in the teaching of oral comprehension depends partly on the isolation of factors which block comprehension. Research in conjunction with an experimental course in English as a second language led to the definition of errors due to: (1) insufficient knowledge of the language and the cultural context of its use, and (2) a failure to…

This publication contains a summary of the discussions and conclusions of a Council of Europe symposium on the organization of modern language teaching/learning in the form of a unit/credit system, in order to allow for an approach based on the individual motivations and capacities of the adult learner. Principal discussion topics include: new…

This book presents chapters concerning various aspects of research in language arts and implications for language instruction. The works of individuals are mentioned throughout the book, and 1,168 references are included in a list of works cited in the text. The research topics covered involve language development, oral language, listening, the…

This book is designed for low-intermediate to advanced students of English as a second language. It provides a look at the world that awaits the foreign student who is to be suddenly immersed in an English-speaking society. The format involves a number of letters written by an American university student to a foreign student planning a trip to the…