A SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE, AND LARGELY SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL LANGUAGE PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED AND EVALUATED FOR FIVE ACADEMIC QUARTERS AT KALAMAZOO COLLEGE IN MICHIGAN. THE PROGRAM WAS CALLED THE "NEGLECTED LANGUAGE PROGRAM" (NLP) AND OFFERED INSTRUCTION IN MANDARIN CHINESE, JAPANESE, HINDI-URDU, PERSIAN, SWAHILI, AND BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE. ITS PURPOSE WAS TO LAY A FOUNDATION OF ORAL COMPETENCE IN THE LANGUAGES ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT TO THE BEGINNING THREE TERMS OF FORMAL INSTRUCTION ELSEWHERE. STUDENTS WHO ACQUIRED THIS BASIC COMPETENCE WOULD THEN BE ENCOURAGED TO CONTINUE THEIR LANGUAGE STUDY AT AN INSTITUTION WHERE FORMAL INSTRUCTION COULD BE OFFERED. DURING 5 QUARTERS, 23 CAREFULLY SCREENED STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM BY TAKING, FOR REGULAR ACADEMIC CREDIT, FROM 2 TO 4 QUARTERS OF ONE OF THE LANGUAGES OFFERED. WORKING AT THEIR OWN SPEED WITH COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE MATERIALS AND WITH FOREIGN STUDENTS (ACTING AS PRONUNCIATION DRILL MASTERS, NOT AS INSTRUCTORS), THESE STUDENTS CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATED THEIR ABILITY TO KEEP UP WITH FIRST- AND SECOND-YEAR SPOKEN LANGUAGE CLASSES TAUGHT BY LIVE INSTRUCTORS ELSEWHERE. SELF-INSTRUCTION IN THE WRITING SYSTEMS OF THE LANGUAGES ALSO YIELDED SATISFACTORY RESULTS, BUT PRIMARY EMPHASIS CONTINUED TO BE PLACED ON LISTENING COMPREHENSION AND SPEAKING. REFER TO ED 010 402 FOR A MANUAL PREPARED FOR DIRECTORS OF SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMS. (JH)