The need for Mexican American students to become fluent in Spanish as well as proficient in English has become of prime importance in the Southwest. There are several substantial reasons why it is imperative that Mexican American youngsters become fluent in Spanish. The student's capabilities in Spanish will be important in his search for a…

This study was undertaken to assess: (1) the U.S. corporate demand for Americans holding an MBA degree with a concentration in International Management, (2) the U.S. corporate demand for foreign nationals holding a similar American MBA degree, and (3) the corporate perception of the value of foreign languages in such an international curriculum. A…

Finds that text material in final (end-of-school) French oral examinations in Germany do not correspond with the accomplishment to be expected of the students, in both appropriateness and degree of difficulty. Offers criteria, sample texts, and suggestions regarding reasonable requirements. (IFS/WGA)

A method of testing student pronunciation involves recording a poem. Students transcribe the words they mispronounced in phonetic script and have it checked by the tutor. The phonetics tutorial is required by first-year students majoring in English who are not native speakers. (SW)

The article compares the use of pattern drills to contextualized practice and suggests that although the second is a more personally meaningful approach, the pattern drills can provide a means through which the operations of many language features will be made more apparent to the learner. (NCR)

Socio-drama can be used to develop communication skills for English as a second language students. Students produce new sentences by participating in several enactments, and language use must be restructured according to the social context. Social interaction, a prerequisite for communication, is also promoted. (SW)

"Directed conversation," involving a functional approach and role playing, is recommended for English as a second language classes instead of unstructured conversation groups. The student practices not only syntax and vocabulary but the specific sociolinguistic rules appropriate to the speech situation. (SW)

The injection of conversation/discussion sessions into English language laboratory exercises could help to achieve the major objective of teaching English as a foreign language--helping the learner to express himself in English. Steps in developing the method are outlined. (SW)

The status of foreign language instruction in colleges and universities is examined in terms of both decreasing interest due to reliance on English as an international language, and of increasing needs due to developing national pride and expanding international trade. (LBH)

The communicative approach used in the teaching of second languages is also effective in teaching pronunciation of English as a second language. Communicative principles and activities in the areas of consonants and vowels, contractions, recued expressions and linking, suprasegmentals, and monitoring are discussed. (CB)

The ability to think in a foreign language is reflected more accurately in the ability to speak and write the language. Colleges and universities need to supplement the Test of English as a Foreign Language with tests of English conversation, specialized vocabulary, and written composition. (MLW)

Offers suggestions toward making the conversational language course more valuable, with particular reference to Spanish. (AM)

This book offers teachers the tools they need to incorporate drama into their language classes. It provides instructions on how to do the following: conduct a drama class; use acting and role-play exercises; select appropriate scripts for language learners; guide students to write their own scripts; and dramatize scripts for performance. Chapter…

The human cognitive system may have a developmental property that makes acquisition of fluent reading skills difficult after a certain age. This problem may be seen to affect two different populations: participants in adult literacy programs who lacked access to schools as children and educated adults fluent in languages with non-Latin scripts.…

This paper considers the importance of teaching "register" in the Spanish as a second language classroom. Generally speaking, register means "variety according to use." A register is what you are speaking at the time determined by what you are doing (the nature of the social activity being engaged in), and an expression of…