Recent linguistic research has focused on the actual uses or functions of language. Parallel to the development of discourse analysis, traditional language learning and teaching philosophies and methodologies have been supplemented or replaced by functional approaches, focusing on developing communicative competence, beyond strictly grammatical…

Findings of sociolinguistic research that can be used by language teachers to elicit meaningful and authentic communication from their students are reviewed, including such factors as nonverbal cues, situation, intent, mood, and cultural norms. (MSE)

Discusses approaches and problems in teaching English as a second dialect writing. Also discusses the kinds of clues student writings provide on the students' progress in mastery of standard English. (EKN)

Both the theoretical basis of functional-notionalism and its practical classroom applications are discussed in this text. The major characteristic of the functional-notional approach to language teaching is a sensitivity to the individual needs of students. Based on the idea that the ability to use real, appropriate language to communicate with…

Reports on research intended to determine whether easing the cognitive processing load by having writers deal with contextually familiar material improves fluency, grammaticality, and complexity of the writing. Overall results tend to indicate that writing does improve when the material is culturally familiar. (EKN)

Dramatic advances in personal computer technology have given language teachers access to vast quantities of machine-readable text, which can be analyzed with a view toward improving the basis of language instruction. Corpus linguistics provides analytic techniques and practical tools for studying language in use. This volume includes both an…

Compares the language generated by different kinds of oral communication activities. Areas of comparison include: speed of speaking, frequency of turns taken, and frequency of self-correction. Results indicate that the relative degree to which a student draws on his communicative and linguistic resources seems to be related to the communication…

This study is intended to assist teachers of advanced second language students with the problems of vocabulary errors. The aim is to help avoid the formation of incorrect hypotheses about vocabulary when it is first presented, and more importantly, to help teachers deal with errors as they occur. (SL)

Discusses the need to make sure that developments in methodology and materials are in tune with the perceived learning attitudes of the learners; otherwise, the effectiveness of the materials is likely to be greatly reduced. (EKN)

This text is a compilation of articles focusing on second language teaching, second language learning, and learning materials. Written in honor of Dr. Mary Finocchiaro, it epitomizes her work in the field of language teaching by presenting both theory and practice in the second language classroom. The articles include (1) "What is Second Language…

Argues that the importance of student exchange programs is often overlooked in the planning of translator training. Applies basic economic principles to show that such programs present excellent possibilities for translator training. (HB)

Selected language acquisition research findings are examined in the light of the language teacher's daily needs. Research results are reported that provide an empirical basis for selecting and grading materials, determining skills to be taught and their order of presentation, deciding on classroom presentation and procedures, and formulating…

This article proposes two general instructional strategies that a course designer or materials writer may use to create a second language course that makes new demands on learners, yet contains feasible learning tasks. First, course designers can manipulate task components believed to determine task difficulty, components such as input text, the…

This paper discusses the development and content of a third-year Italian course entitled "Italian for Business and Communication," taught at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts. Since there are few texts that focus on business Italian, the instructor conducted on-site research at three Italian companies in Milan. Observations and…

This publication is intended for parents, teachers, and anyone in the wider community who has an interest in language, language acquisition, and second language learning; bilingual and multilingual education; bilingualism; language, culture, and society; language and power; and literacy. Extensive long-term research was conducted on a number of…