Describes a speech course conducted recently with a group of Chinese graduate students who have minimal experience with spoken English. The students were highly competent in their field of study--engineering--but displayed low oral proficiency in English. The course encourages repetition of utterances and focuses on voice quality and reduced forms…

Gabonese students who speak French as a second language and are educated through French, learn English using textbooks designed for students in France. Article discusses pedagogical issues, goals that Gabonese students have in learning English, and the linguistic and sociolinguistic context in which learning of English takes place. Materials used…

Presents eight language learning principles that suggest ways instructors can integrate language in their classrooms to reinforce anything from vocabulary to thinking and social skills in the form of group and pair work. The principles were developed to improve an imbalance between students' skills and teachers' expectations at Peninsula Technikon…

Sought to identify reading grade-level-equivalency ranges associated with TOEFL (Test of English-as-a-Foreign-Language) ranges. Results of the study indicated that actual reading ranges were from 2 to five grade levels below expected reading ranges with the majority of subjects (80%) reading below a seventh-grade level and half reading below a…

Presents 29 brief descriptions of research in the teaching of English (published July through December, 1999) in the areas of: bilingual/foreign language education; classroom discourse; discourse processes; literature; professional development; reading; research methodology; technology and literacy; and writing. (SR)

Explores the compatibility of computer-mediated communication (CMC) with two basic objectives of modern foreign language curricula: development of functional and pragmatic abilities, and instructional materials informed by what is known about cognitive processes responsible for acquisition. It is suggested that CMC is particularly compatible with…

Discusses a study of grades six, eight, and ten students in the Netherlands to whom grade-appropriate measures of reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge were administered in their native language, Dutch, as well as in English. The aim was to explore relative contributions to native language and foreign language reading comprehension of a…

Discussion of Northern Arizona University's experience with implementation of distance education for upper-level language courses looks at problems encountered and solutions adopted in the areas of communication of assignments and exams, out-of-class interaction of teachers and students, classroom configuration, equipment reliability, scheduling,…

This article is divided into two parts. The first discusses theoretical issues related to the software program introduced, and the second deals with practical issues, including technical and pedagogical considerations in implementing the program. (Author/VWL)

Describes a recent email writing project between nonnative speakers of English. The project was carried out by a group of Japanese university students, and a group of Danish students preparing for university entrance examinations. Explains the reasons for choosing to use email in writing classes and why nonnative speakers were chosen. (Author/VWL)

Assesses the value of VRoma for Latin language learning. In particular, discusses three exercises that were developed that combine Latin language and Roman culture in order to help students reinforce their Latin skills and gain a more in-depth understanding of ancient Roman society. (Author/VWL)

Focuses on how skills required by the visually impaired to facilitate language learning are acquired in mainstream and special schools. (18 references) (CK)

Examines issues affecting the teaching and learning of listening skills within the study of Japanese as a Foreign Language. Listening within foreign-language learning is a complex skill, and students encounter several difficulties in learning to listen for comprehension. Teachers face concerns ranging from resource availability to how to teach…

Investigates the functional projections in second-language (L2) acquisition by examining the emergence of functional categories in the L2 acquisition of French by children. Data include the productive use of determiners, inflection, case marking, subject clitics, wh-questions, and correct negative placement. (57 references) (Author/CK)

Profiles interlanguage pragmatics as an area of inquiry in second-language acquisition (SLA) research by reviewing existing studies with a focus on learning, examining research findings in interlanguage pragmatics shedding light on basic questions in SLA, exploring cognitive and social-psychological theories illuminating aspects of pragmatic…