Discusses the issue of oral communication tests through an account of an oral test administered to nearly 1,000 students at Yarmouk University Language Center. The ways in which the institution attempted to overcome problems in the oral test's feasibility, validity, and reliability are presented. (Author/CB)

Describes the language learning program "Acquire," which is a sample of grammar induction. It is a learning algorithm based on a pattern-matching scheme, using both a positive and negative network to reduce overgeneration. Language learning programs may be useful as tutorials for learning the syntax of a foreign language. (Author/LMO)

A model is described to help writers of English as a second language to clarify and rewrite written work which may be incoherent and, as a result, fail to communicate the writer's intentions. The model's steps include reconstructing the reader-writer interaction, uncovering covert questions, and redrafting. (Author/CB)

While bilingual education programs in Peru are promoted as educational alternatives, designed for a specific group with the intention of strengthening the community's capacity to achieve its own goals, Texas programs are "substitute" programs to compensate for presumed deficits until the student can function in a "regular"…

Topics of personal relevance to students can be used as a foundation for foreign language acquisition and become part of the developmental process of the learner. An example of a German unit of study incorporating interpersonal development is described. (CB)

Examination of existing empirical and theoretical literature suggests there is no conclusive support for the existence of a critical period for human speech learning. Assumption of a critical period may inhibit the search for testable hypotheses concerning observed adult-child differences in second language production. (Author/LMO)

256 undergraduate students of Spanish responded to questionnaire concerning their: (1) experiences with Spanish and other languages in and out of the classroom; (2) comfort level in various aspects of using Spanish; and (3) motivation for taking Spanish courses. A significant relationship was drawn between student's outside experience and his or…

Analysis of the length of time required for limited English proficient students (N=1,548) to become proficient in English for academic purposes while receiving instruction in English in all subject areas indicated that at least four to eight years may be required for subjects to reach national grade-level norms of native speakers. (Author/CB)

Suggests a more specific-purpose instructional model for English as a second language that is based on a quantitative and qualitative discourse analysis of videotapes of native and non-native speaking teaching assistants. (Author/CB)

Describes an eight-week intensive course for incoming graduate students at the Asian Institute of Technology that helps students learn how to develop a piece of research in English. (LMO)

Hungarian students have difficulty with the English verb, particularly the perfect and passive aspects and word order. The points of conflict are assumed to originate in the differences in linguistic modes of thought in Hungarian and English, suggesting that linguistic mode of thought should be taught alongside grammar and vocabulary. (MSE)

Discusses five practical and necessary features of language learning theory: audio-oral phenomenon, linking creativity and control, temporary separation of language components, contrastive analysis, and language learning via instruction. Major language theories and technologies in light of their theoretical justifications versus their realistic…

Limited-English-speaking students (N=198), taking college admissions tests, were studied in terms of reading, writing, and listening test scores and their university performance (grade point average, dropped classes, etc.). Results indicate that the English language test scores are not always related to the students' academic achievement. (CB)

Proposes that the study of basilectal and acrolectal Singapore English can contribute to a better understanding of second language acquisition and use, emphasizing the operation of the monitor and specifications of the hierarchy of difficulty in the acquisition of syntactic structures. (Author/CB)

Although studies of Vietnamese refugees indicated that their language values and attitudes encouraged the use and maintenance of Vietnamese as well as the development of English proficiency, a study of adolescent Vietnamese suggested that "Vietnamese English" is an emerging dialect featuring modifications of English structures.…