This volume brings together research carried out in a variety of geographic and linguistic contexts including Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and the United States and explores efforts to incorporate linguistic diversity into education and to "harness" this diversity for learners' benefit. It challenges the largely…

Designed as a brief introduction to Romanian, this beginner-level workbook includes the Romanian alphabet, phonetics, similar Romanian/English words, basic expressions, numbers, basic dialogue, and greetings. (CNP)

This article suggests that to better prepare students for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) oral proficiency interview, it is up to instructors to see that these students are better prepared in oral, creative speech. Bridging exercises between dialogue memorization and personalized situations can be used to help…

Ten guidelines, along with corresponding teaching techniques and learning activities, are offered for developing students' communicative proficiency as described in the "ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines." The objective is to improve students' Spanish and Portuguese communication ability in authentic, situational contexts. (16 references) (LB)

Five card games for use in beginning to advanced level Chinese language classrooms or outside the classroom are described. The games require a flat playing surface, the prescribed deck of cards, and three to five students. Instructor supervision is minimal for all but one of the games, and all provide healthy competition and fun with a purpose.…

The selection of reading texts for second language learners of Indonesian for this volume were based on the desire to provide level-appropriate material, to reflect the diversity of contemporary Indonesian society, and to pique the interest of university students. Included materials are from government publications, Jakarta newspapers, provincial…

The extra effort required for second-language learning by disadvantaged students is discussed and illustrated in a diagram that emphasizes the need for individualized and eclectic teaching approaches. (LB)

The complexity of teaching second-language vocabulary is illustrated with numerous examples of words that do not have an exact reciprocal from one language to another. Some insurmountable differences are cited, and the rationale for usage of an inaccurate but culturally acceptable word is offered. (13 references) (LB)

This set of instructional materials for Shona, a Bantu language, consists of lessons designed to be used with audiotape recordings (not included here), lesson notes, written exercises, and vocabulary. The first "book" contains 24 language lessons on a variety of grammatical topics, with line drawing illustrations. The second book contains…

This Lao language textbook is the second draft of a book developed for teaching Lao to United States Peace Corps volunteers (PCVs) and is designed to be used with a Lao language instructor familiar with competency based curricula. It is not designed for self-instruction, although after some hours of use, students may be familiar enough with the…

Presents the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Language Chinese Proficiency Guidelines, detailing stages of proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. (CB)

This directory offers detailed information on 128 language service organizations and includes addresses and less specific information on over 100 additional organizations. Teachers, students, and others interested in languages and cultures will find the directory to be an invaluable guide to resources and services related to language study and…

This textbook tapescript is a component of "Beginning Pashto," a set of materials (including a textbook, student workbook, and glossary) that teaches the Pashto language. The textbook tapescript consists of the dialogues, readings, example sentences, and vocabulary contained in the units of the Textbook, recast in tapescript form. The tapescript…

This student workbook is a component of "Beginning Pashto," a set of materials (including a textbook, teacher's manual, tapescripts, and a glossary) that teaches the Pashto language. The workbook provides background information on Pashtun culture, discusses grammar, and includes information on individual vocabulary items. The workbook unit…

This teachers' manual is a component of "Beginning Pashto," a set of materials (including a textbook, student workbook, tapescripts, and a glossary) that teaches the Pashto language. The teacher's manual is written for the native speaker of Pashto who is educated but does not have a background in language teaching or an extensive background in…