Examines the accuracy of the current public attitude that instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL) at the college level is too expensive, and that nonnative students' success is not commensurate with the cost of teaching them. The article argues that these students represent the country's future and that educators must counter the assault…

Explores whether pragmatic fluency is best acquired by provision of input and opportunity for communicative practice alone, or whether learners profit more with additional explicit instruction in the use of conversational routines. The article hypothesized that such instruction raises learners' awareness of the functions and contextual…