There are growing numbers of students enrolling in university-level English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) courses who are not international students but are products of American K-12 bilingual education programs. These immigrant or refugee ESL learners are not required to demonstrate a specified level of English language competence by scoring 500 or…

This book analyzes the distinctive language and culture of the Internet. It offers a study of the fusion of linguistic, visual, and technological dimensions which characterize the World Wide Web. Recognizing that Internet language is being created at a prodigious rate, the authors set out to equip teachers and educators with a key to understanding…

This issue includes the following articles: "Vowel Epenthesis in Vimeu Picard: A Preliminary Investigation" (Julie Auger, Jeffrey Steele); "Lexical Borrowings from French in Written Quebec English: Perspectives on Motivation" (Pamela Grant-Russell and Celine Beaudet); "Variable Article Use in Korean Learners of…

This article examines English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) textbook telephone dialogues against the backdrop about what is reported about real telephone interaction based in research in conversation analysis (CA). An analysis of eight ESL textbooks reveals that the fit between what conversation analysts say about the nature of natural telephone…

This document is a narrative of one experienced English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher's struggle to improve the English language learning skills of her beginning level students. She found this difficult to do in a situation where the learners spent only 4 hours a week in class, and only 2 of those in her class. Rather than focus on how to do…

This article paints an optimistic picture of the role we second language teachers can play not only in improving our students' language proficiency but also in infusing global education into our classes as we join with our students to address global concerns, such as peace, prosperity, environmental protection, and human rights. The article is…

Schools can have an important effect on children's developing views of gender roles, and coursebooks form an important element of children's school experience. In 1996, we read an article by Anthea Fraser Gupta and Ameline Lee Su Yin that described gender bias in a 1980s primary school English coursebook series used in Singapore schools. We had…

Reviews impact of Canadian French immersion research on theoretical conceptions of bilingualism and biliteracy and identifies four major issues: effects of bilingualism on children's cognitive and academic development; effects of intensity of school exposure to the second language; the "optimal age" issue; and the suitability of a…

Long exposure to French, verbal ability in one's native tongue, general intelligence, and ability grouping were correlated with competence in French as a foreign language. The Swedish policy of mixing beginning French students who vary in ability and motivation was questioned. (CP)

As a teaching aid in high school Italian courses, guidelines for the use of games, graphic projects, and puzzles are offered. Specific examples include word puzzles, mazes, a map of Italy, dialogues, and idiom exercises. (JB)

The foreign language program in the Edison, New Jersey public schools is described. The exemplary features of this program are: (1) It is not limited to college-bound students, (2) a significant provision is made for program advocacy, and (3) there are full four- and six-year sequences in French, Spanish, and German. (PMJ)

Discusses the importance of all forms of nonverbal communication in the teaching of foreign languages, including body language, paralinguistics, cross cultural understanding, and visual aids in teaching. (AM)

Discusses the types of materials that should be used in the foreign language classroom to teach students how to communicate in real-life situations. These materials are called "communication tasks." (CFM)

Experiential learning and experiential education are defined and compared to classroom-based learning. Scandinavian Seminar, an American-Scandinavian organization with a one-year independent living and learning program, is described. The process of second-language learning, cultural immersion, and attitudes in language learning are discussed. (MLW)