This paper defines and exemplifies the "grammar of the reader." It is claimed that existing pedagogical grammars, although supposedly neutral with respect to skills, are actually biased towards production. In translating rules into the reader's perspective, reader's grammar turns them inside out. Reader's grammar does not primarily focus on rules…

THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IS STRESSED IN A BRIEF BROCHURE DESIGNED FOR STUDENTS OF ALL LEVELS, PARENTS, TEACHERS, COUNSELORS, AND ADMINISTRATORS. INFORMATION IS GIVEN ON WHEN TO BEGIN A LANGUAGE, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ABLE TO SPEAK A LANGUAGE, USES FOR A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AT HOME, LANGUAGE JOB OPPORTUNITIES, AND LANGUAGE…

THIS PAPER CONSTITUTES A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE POSSIBLE USES OF DICTATION AS A LANGUAGE LEARNING ACTIVITY, AS WELL AS A BRIEF EXAMINATION OF THE PEDAGOGICAL PRINCIPLES INVOLVED. THE AUTHOR OBSERVES THAT STUDENTS WHO ARE EXPOSED TO PROPERLY HANDLED DICTATION EXERCISES NOT ONLY LEARN TO RECOGNIZE THE RELATIONSHIP OF SPEECH TO WRITING AT AN…

This paper begins with some main conclusions put forth by the author--(1) Very little has been published directly in the area of the psychology of language learning, (2) The very large amount of expertise and opinion-based activity among language teachers (which is based on assumptions about human behavior and which seems to work) would not come…

Students find place names--and their origins--interesting. A number of German examples are given, ranging from the Familiar Koeln (Colonia) and Koblenz (Confluentes) to the less familiar Wien ( Celtic vindos, "white water") and Weimar (wihmari, sacred swamp). (WGA)

Lists and discusses factors affecting listening comprehension. List was compiled from a literature survey, consulting a cross-section of teachers working at secondary and tertiary levels, and questioning students who had just finished their secondary education. (EKN)

Describes the original FSI oral interview and the ACTFL/ETS modifications. Discusses: (1) the characteristics of the test, (2) some possible pitfalls in application and their remedies, and (3) some possible long range effects of the oral interview on second language teaching and testing. Provisional generic descriptions for speaking and…

Suggest that the "one to one" principle of interlanguage construction can account for both minimal "pidginized" interlanguage systems and more developed interlanguage systems. This principle specifies that an interlanguage system should be constructed in such a way that an intended underlining method is expressed with one clear invariant surface…

Retells the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears as a mnemonic device for learning German simple past verb forms. (EKN)

Discusses theories of motivation in foreign language learning especially as an interactional, dynamic process focusing on how diffuse needs become channeled into wants through behavior itself. Sociological issues involved include the personality model of the learner and the institutional setting where language is being taught. (Author/BK)

Discusses study which looked at the variance from target language norms in second-language behavior which arises in semantic information in individual words. Results suggest that study of grammar as a knowledge of basic lexical classifications requires little attention because work class identifications learned in L1 are smoothly transferred to…