This article explores the role of transfer and Universal Grammar (UG) in second language (L2) phonology by investigating the L2 acquisition of stress/prominence in footless languages, such as Turkish and French, which have fixed word- and phrase-final prominence respectively. It is proposed that once the prosodic constituent Foot is projected in a…

This paper examines the process of acquiring L2s that are closely related to the L1 through data on how adult French speakers learning L2 Spanish in a formal setting develop knowledge and use of past tenses in this L2. We consider the role of transfer and simplification in acquiring mental representations of the L2 grammar, specifically in the…

Second language study in French universities includes both modern language (literary) and foreign language (communicative) approaches, although teaching is dominated by the literary strand. Traditional educational models based on the transmission of knowledge are unable to accommodate recent progress in our understanding of learning theory, which…

The International Society for the History of French as a Foreign or Second Language (SIHFLES) had a fruitful meeting in 1990, planning a substantial and diversified program of activities that illustrates the dynamism of the organization. One topic of considerable debate was the role of research in the association's mission. (MSE)

The efforts of a group of French foreign-language educators since 1968 to develop innovative teaching methods are chronicled by three participants and placed in the scientific, historical, and social contexts of the time and the institutions in which the experiments took place. (MSE)

The foreign language classroom is considered a legitimate and important arena for educational and linguistic research. Research projects developed through a French survey include: an analysis of the foreign language classroom through diary studies; and an analysis of classroom discourse of teachers and pupils. (Author/CB)

A study analyzed classroom interaction between language learners in the United States and France using international videoconferencing, focusing on the American learners' Zone of Proximal Development and the differences between learners' capabilities and native speakers' language use. A videotape of the teleconference was found useful in providing…

The 1985 issue of the journal on second language teaching and learning contains four articles in French and three in English, including: "Lire et comprendre un texte informatif (Reading and understanding an Informative Text)" (Jacqueline Billant, Pascale Fade); "Les nouveaux diplomes de Francais Language Etrangere: Le D.E.L.F. et le…

Two linguistic and religious aspects of the Alsatian school are discussed. These two aspects of the problem converge in the area commonly called Alsace-Lorraine. The discussion of the school question is developed in two parts: (1) the historical evolution prior to the German occupation in 1940, and (2) developments since 1940. The interlocking of…

A literature review, undertaken in preparation for a study of French regional needs for workforce English language instruction at the college level, covers research on this topic in areas of France and other non-English-speaking countries, student perspectives on language needs and motivation for learning English, linguistic issues in addressing…

Articles on second language teaching and learning include: "Ethnographie comparee de la salle de classe en France et en grande-Bretagne" (Comparative Ethnography of the Classroom Environment in France and Great Britain) (F. Carton); "Pour une approche micro et macro du francais parle dans la formation des enseignants de FLE"…

Papers on language difficulties encountered by migrant workers' children include: "Anomie in Bicultural Education" (Hugo Baetens Beardsmore); "An Investigation into Bilingual Education for Children from Favoured Socio-Economic Backgrounds" (Hugo Baetens Beardsmore); "Orientations of Foreign Children Relating to Placement…