This paper examines disagreement over how second language learning tasks create conditions needed for language acquisition by exploring and comparing three second language acquisition theories: input-based; output-based; and interactionist. Each theory is described, and some new conclusions are drawn. It is argued that a task should: be…

This paper explores the theoretical and applied groundwork for a new "sociohistorical practice" of cross-cultural communication. Influenced heavily by the work of psychologist Lev Vygotsky, the theory assumes that the way teachers think about and teach culture should result from an understanding of how sociohistorical conditions produce…

The attitudes and practices of teachers of English in an elementary school in India were studied through a questionnaire completed by all 11 teachers who taught the English classes in grades 1 through 5. The survey elicited data about participants' beliefs about teaching English and their instructional and assessment practices. Teachers believed…

This keynote address by a native Vietnamese speaker who did not learn English until he was college-age, through the now obsolete "grammar-translation" method, recounts his difficulties in learning to converse orally in English. He stresses the need to teach conversational English to English Language Learners (ELLs) in addition to…

The paper investigates how adult immigrants with low literacy levels are being taught language skills in Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. Particular attention is paid to the reasons why large English-as-a-Second-Language programs (ESL) in the area do not offer native language literacy (NLL) courses and why some students seek NLL…

"Projet Mercure," or the Mercury Project, was a consortium of universities in North America that used videoconferencing to link with university classrooms in France; its purpose was to provide a new approach to teaching French language and civilization. This paper examines one such videoconference between both Austin Peay State…

The beginning workbook of the Oxford Picture Dictionary is in full color and offers vocabulary reinforcement activities that correspond page for page with the dictionary. Clear and simple instructions with examples make it suitable for independent use in the classroom or at home. The workbook has up-to-date art and graphics, explaining over 3700…

The realities of the glass ceiling, which prevents qualified women, minorities, and many English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students from advancement and promotion, are rarely discussed in English for Special Purposes (ESP)/ESL programs and courses. This paper explores the barriers to success, focusing on the sociolinguistic factors of verbal and…

Listening and speaking, the most used language skills in the classroom, are critical for functioning in an English language context, and are logical starting points for language instruction for low-literacy learners. Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing, receiving, and processing information. A…

This study examined salary data for 9,626 college faculty in the field of foreign languages and literatures for both public and private institutions for the years 1995-1996 and 1998-1999. The study reflects data obtained from the 279 public and 386 private institutions that participated in both study years. The study found that the average faculty…

Contrastive rhetoric can help English teachers of native Japanese speaking students to better understand cultural and first language influences which affect the acquisition of English expository writing skills. An awareness of the Japanese expository writing style called "delayed introduction of purpose," which can cause problems in…

There are compelling reasons for integrating phonics into the adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) curriculum. The adult ESL student has the analytical capability to understand phoneme-grapheme relationships and can be taught to use any transferable native-language literacy skills in English spelling. In this essay, the potential of phonics…

The discussion looks at techniques for communicating effectively with students of English for academic purposes during classroom revision of written compositions. The approach highlighted is to use a word processor projected in the classroom that "sideshadows" comments to the original text. The original text is left untouched while projected in…

This issue contains the following articles: "Was Mir Wisse: A Review of the Literature on the Languages of the Pennsylvania Germans" (David Bowie); "Tigrinya Root Consonants and the OCP" (Eugene Buckley); "Duration of Onset Consonants in Gay Male Stereotyped Speech" (Sean Crist); "PRO, the EPP and Nominative…

Extensive reading (ER) programs involve students in silently reading large quantities of material. Research suggests that extensive reading is associated with gains in first and second language proficiency. Further, extensive reading can help learners develop a reading habit and increase their level of autonomy. This paper begins with a discussion…