Second language students are often discouraged in trying to acquire oral fluency skills. Four specific problem areas are: (1) timidity; (2) listening comprehension difficulties; (3) oral reading problems; and (4) difficulty in putting sentences together. An approach that emphasizes writing skills avoids these problem areas and uses skills the…

Discusses the strategies of good language learning and names ten features that mark the good language learner. (KM)

Describes techniques for measuring and developing the syntactic fluency of students learning French. (P M P)

Interest is focused on the relationship between how old a person is when he or she first begins to learn a language and the fluency with which he or she can produce and understand that language in adulthood. The goal is to describe and measure the relationship between early experience and environment in language learning. In particular, the…

This is an individually administered test designed to evaluate programs that teach English as a second language, specifically the Southwestern Cooperative Educational Laboratory's (SWCEL) Oral Language Program for children in the primary grades. A major goal of the test is to elicit responses in as "spontaneous" a manner as possible in order to…

Research was carried out on Japanese children in the United States to test the hypothesis of early age sensitivity in second language learning. The results did not support this hypothesis. Acquisition proceeded at a fast rate initially, but the amounts of gain diminished with time. (CFM)

A technique is described for eliciting true communication in the elementary German classroom which is also applicable to more advanced study. Students define simple words in German and are encouraged to help one another build a cumulative definition. The instructor reinforces the concept of language as a social activity. (SW)

Teachers of English as a second language can try to help students build up a listening fluency so they can detect their own errors in English when it "sounds wrong." One procedure for this is explained; it involves learning discriminations through hypothesis testing of contrasts and providing immediate feedback. (CHK)

The issues confronting Australian tertiary institutions in the assessment of non-English-speaking-background students are discussed. A survey of tertiary institutions that identified test instruments currently being used is described and some of these test instruments (SST and CULT tests) are discussed. (Author/MLW)

Reviews the different categories of native pauses and describes techniques for incorporating them cautiously into the spoken French of anglophones (especially Americans), suggesting that proper pause behavior is actually a definite mark of authentic sounding and well-controlled speech. (Author/CB)

Presents a proposal to bring literature into the basic program of instruction and make it a meaningful component of the learning process. A model lesson describes how literary texts can be perceived and studied as performances of a language. (CB)

Analysis of language research and observation of two language classes suggest that, when teachers devote efforts to promoting students' encounters with and use of natural language, students will have the opportunity not only to learn about language, but also to arrive at proficiency in its use. (CB)

Reports on the visit to Japan of a 60-year-old man who had last been there over 40 years ago. Relates several amusing anecdotes about language fluency and Japanese customs, mostly based on the changes a language undergoes in the passage of many years and the importance of an up-to-date vocabulary. (NKA)

Argues for giving precedence to the development of listening and reading skills, while postponing speaking and writing, in order to acquire a solid foundation for later speaking. Emphasizes bilingual exercises comprised of listening, supported by written texts. This method also preferable for adult learners because of inhibitions and anxiety about…

Translated from the Russian. (DD)