Willingness to communicate (WTC) in a target language is considered a critical variable impacting engagement when students learn the language. Notwithstanding the research conducted on WTC of students, fewer attempts have been made to investigate their willingness to listen (WTL), especially WTL augmentation. To address this gap, this research…

The language of argumentation, taught increasingly often at the advanced level of French second-language learning, is discussed. Rationale for its teaching, basic concepts within the emerging discipline, and its relationship to traditional language teaching are examined. (MSE)

Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore developed a three-part procedure to help English language students overcome anxiety about preparing and delivering a two-minute persuasive talk as part of an exam. The approach has the students first talk about themselves and then use computer prompts and videotaped practice speeches. (LB)

Describes use of debates to teach English as a second language students how to separate the relevant from the irrevelant in written and spoken English and the mental discipline to use only pertinent information. (BK)

This workbook with teacher's guide provides "hand-ons" experience for second language (L2) acquisition researchers in analyzing second language data. The sample data is organized into language categories including morphology, lexicon, phonology, syntax/semantics, spoken and written discourse, foreigner talk discourse, specific purpose acquisition,…

A study investigated whether formal instruction in logic and syllogism construction helps English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL)/English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) students in crafting argumentative essays. Subjects were 24 ESL students of varied linguistic backgrounds at the Mercer University (Georgia) English Language Institute. Half were given…

Four classroom activities for French instruction are described, including an exercise in contextual grammar, lessons in interpretation of charts and graphs, an exercise in extracting cultural information from text, and practice in calculating in French and applying basic economic concepts. (MSE)

The use of debate as a technique for teaching integrated skills in English as a Second Language (ESL) is discussed and recommended. The paper argues that debate meets real-world communication needs and reflects a particular practical style of language use (persuasion), meeting expectations of the native speaker. Use of the approach in an…

This paper discusses the rationale for using sustained content-based instruction (CBI) to teach English for academic purposes to non- native speakers, drawing on recent research and theory and on both personal experience and a small-scale study of college students. Discussion begins with a look at college and graduate students' needs for both…

The guide offers instructors a system for responding to their English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students' writing, and is designed to accompany an ESL student guide to editing. It include information on how to: respond as a collaborator and constructive critic; respond to content; respond to sentence-level errors; assign grades; help students…

Four activities for classroom French instruction are described: a board game for children's vocabulary development; a sentence and dialogue construction exercise using comic strips (existing or student-made); a discussion of the treatment of the notion of "event" in different journalistic contexts; and an exercise in debating skills and language.…

Four French language class activities are described, including a game using proverbs to review animal names and encourage comprehension; videotaping a class debate in French, to promote both exchange of ideas and student confidence before a group; a role-playing exercise in which a television news program is created; and a specialized activity to…

By comparing the language performance of native speakers of Mandarin Chinese and English to English second language performance across similar speech events, a study suggests a methodology for discovering potential areas of pragmatic transfer. Subjects were 6 native American English speakers and 12 native Chinese-speakers, 6 using Chinese and 6…

This issue of a biannual journal for interdisciplinary exchange of ideas within the areas of communication, language skills acquisition and instruction, and cross-cultural training and learning includes these articles: "Oral Interactive Testing at a Japanese University" (Eloise Pearson); "Classroom Organisation and the Teacher" (Armand…

Four classroom activities for French second-language instruction are described: a unit on Lorraine, a region of France; a song and related exercises for young children; an exercise in interviewing classmates, based on an 1890 interview with Marcel Proust; and a literature-based unit on friendship. (MSE)