Three experiments from the late 1970s concerning second language communication strategies are studied for evidence supporting their classification as either avoidance or achievement strategies. The experiments had as subjects native English-speaking children in a French immersion program, adult second language learners of English who were native speakers of Spanish, Turkish, or Mandarin, and intermediate-level American students learning Russian. The studies show that language learners use avoidance strategies to different extents, irrespective of age, native language, or target language. They also give only very general clues about the overall use of avoidance at different learning levels and suggest that reliable classification of communication strategies is difficult. It is recommended that researchers take greater care to report details of task, context, and subject characteristics in their investigations. (MSE)