This paper comments on an article by Tracy Terrell in this journal. Terrell is praised for his contribution to the debate over teaching communication versus structure in second languages. It is pointed out, however, that study and analysis of language structures requires understanding and memorization essential to cognitive development. (CHK)

States that a major source of frustration for the second language teacher is the difficulty of bridging the gap between the formal aspects of language and the exploitation of the language in authentic situations. Suggests steps that can be taken to overcome the problem and to meet students' expectations. (MES)

This study presents a synthesis of major dimensions of the second language teaching-learning process. The first four chapters survey some factors which are considered important in this process and examine what is known and unknown about each one. Subsequent chapters deal with the following problems: (1) language learners' errors, (2)…

Developments in the field of teaching culture are outlined, and some directions for further reading and development are listed. The focus is on multicultural materials, with only occasional reference to culture-specific media. Most of the literature surveyed is in the field of foreign language education, but some attempt was made to sample current…

Two projects of the Ecole Normale Superieure de Saint-Cloud (CREDIF) are described and critically analyzed in this paper: the definition of a threshold level, "Niveau-seuil," in French and a learning module, "Looking for Work," intended to teach necessary written French to migrant workers. The threshold level section is a…

Proponents of the cognitive approach to language teaching list linguistic competence as the primary instructional objective and attribute considerable importance to listening comprehension. For the student, linguistic competence would be knowledge of grammatical components of the language and its vocabulary. Understanding oral messages is an…