This paper discusses the history of language laboratories. It was Edison's invention of the tin foil phonograph in 1877 that made the first language laboratories possible. It was used for a foreign language class for the first time in 1891. At first, records were mainly used to preserve rare languages, but in the late 1800s and early 1900s,…

This is a description of the materials developed for the language laboratory of the Ecole de Francais Moderne at the University of Lausanne. The tapes are designed to deal specifically with French phonetics, grammar, and lexicon. (AM)

Illustrates the use of stick figures and symbols in presenting the personal pronoun system in French, with the aim of minimizing relationship confusion. (Text is in French.) (MSE)

A self-instructional technique for developing listening fluency in foreign language laboratories is reported. (RM)

Discusses an experiment in freer language laboratory use in which oral communication was elicited with the help of illustrations, vocabulary, and a model. (Text is in French.) (AM)

This article addresses the question, "Does the introduction of a language laboratory improve the functioning of a given teaching method?" Four experiments with the language laboratory are described and analyzed: the Keating and Lorge experiments in New York, the Jalling experiment in Sweden, and the Freedman experiment in Great Britain. These…

Describes a laboratory structure based on the open classroom model, consisting of various "skill stations," such as the "listening comprehension and pronunciation station," and designed to allow for flexibility, stimulation, variety, and contact between teacher and student. (AM)

Discusses recent studies giving conflicting answers, mostly unfavorable, to the question of whether the language laboratory is effective. Also, it is argued that children learn their native language by a process very different from foreign language learning and that research on the stages of language learning is urgently needed. (WGA)

The article encourages the use of the language lab and gives creative suggestions for student activities under teacher direction. (NCR)

Nine applications of the ordinary language laboratory to the training of simultaneous translators. Functional and technical descriptions of each application are given. These modes of interpretation practice in a university setting substitute for the more sophisticated facilities used by major professional schools. (AMH)

Using concrete examples, it is shown how the language laboratory can be used for preparation for and follow-up of discussions (e.g., of the British educational system). This is meant to be an alternative to the customary use of the lab for language drill. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

This article describes the development and use of an audiovisual center at the University of Trieste in Udine, Italy. The hardware and software of the Center are described in detail. The courses in French, Spanish, Russian, English, and German are listed. (Text is in Italian). (CFM)

This article describes how the system for coordinating the teaching of its beginning languages works at the Department of European Languages and Literature at the University of Hawaii. As well, it describes how some of its procedures have involved and affected the local high school and college community. (Author/RK)