This article suggests criteria for evaluating listening comprehension tests. The weaknesses of typical test items are discussed and suggestions for new types of items are given. (CFM)

Examines the role of "routines" and grammatical patterns in first and second language acquisition by children and adults, specifically with regard to syntactic structures. (Author/AM)

A description of a course which allowed the foreign language student to speak personally with other speakers of the language. The development of the course, its actual on-the-air material, the language development of the students enrolled in the course, and the critique of the course by the students are discussed. (Author/AMH)

Effective teaching of a foreign language to people who already have a command of their mother tongue requires surveying the main elements of the second language to determine differences from the first language. Phonological, lexical, and grammatical systems and cultural differences are considered. (SW)

This paper first explores the treatment of women in materials in current use for English as a second language (ESL) and then discusses English words labelled as prejudicial against women (e.g., generic "he"). Changes are suggested for reducing the bias in the portrayal of women in ESL materials. (CFM)

A discussion is presented that shows that, in teaching reading in a foreign language, the aims, procedures, and techniques can be virtually the same as those once used for the acquisition of reading skills in the mother tongue. (Author/HP)

American comic strips, translated into French, as well as native French strips, are used to teach the current colloquial language dynamically. (MLA)

A study based on two hypotheses: (1) The cognitive and academic effects of bilingualism are mediated by the levels of competence attained in the first and second languages, and (2) the development of skills in a second language is a function of skills already developed in the first language. (AMH)

An account of the origin, development, production and contents of a series of films intended for training teachers of French as a foreign language in many parts of the world. An annotated list of the films and suggestions for their use are included. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

Research at Queens College involving 116 English as a second language students revealed that proficiency in English, measured by a variety of tests, is more closely related to amount of formal instruction than to years spent in an English-speaking country, although a significant relationship exists between proficiency and each factor. (CFM)

If the study of foreign languages cannot be begun at the elementary level, it should be delayed until after adolescence, because adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18 have the greatest difficulty learning languages. At the tertiary level, emphasis should be on the reading skill. (CFM)

Provides statements from the following persons concerning the problem of having too much material in the textbook to cover and ways teachers can cope with it: Anthony Gradisnik, Joan Miller, Lorraine A. Strasheim, Rebecca M. Valette, and Helen P. Warriner. (RM)

Possibilities opened by video in the theory and practice of foreign language teaching are suggested. Among the advantages are: observation of mouth movements is important to articulation; gestures and facial expressions are an important part of communication; and language presented in social contexts can show socio-linguistic conventions. (SW)

Divides American (Midwestern) sounds into 10 categories, and describes their pronunciation on the basis of Daniel Jones'"English Pronuncing Dictionary." Also describes American peculiarities of intonation, rhythm and nasalization. A list of words differing in pronunciation from British is added. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

College language departments have an important role to play in the professional improvement of foreign language high school teachers. A summer conference held for high school French teachers by a university's French department was greatly appreciated by the participants. Emphasis was placed on French language and culture and teaching methodology.…