Communicative proficiency, defined as native-like ability to use the language as a medium of two-way communication, is most effectively and efficiently achieved through instruction emphasizing development of listening and reading comprehension skills, and virtually excluding training in production. The comprehension approach avoids the teaching of explicit linguistic knowledge, and recreates the supportive and relaxed atmosphere of the native language acquirer, focusing solely on the development of comprehension skills. Traditional language classroom practices are replaced by a highly permissive acceptance of any output. The success of this approach has been linked to the teacher's ability to devise instructional materials that are interesting and appropriate to the learner. Full productive language ability then develops as an automatic by-product of the development of fluent comprehension processes through exposure to high-quality input that is presented in comprehensible contexts. The success of the comprehension approach is explained by a theory of language processing which makes a clear separation among the components of language ability while emphasizing the ways in which these components interact in the ongoing comprehension, production, and acquisition of language. (MSE)