As an international phenomenon, standardization has become increasingly prominent, and language has been curricularized through learning progressions, curricula, and high-stakes assessments. Curricularized systems exist in tension with what we know about how individuals develop language. As scholars have asserted, language development is mediated…

Transformations associated with the increasing speed, scale, and complexity of mobilities, together with the information technology revolution, have changed the demography of most countries of the world and brought about accompanying social, cultural, and economic shifts (Heugh, 2013). This complex diversity has changed the very nature of…

What becomes of language students who participate in study abroad and then continue their study at home? What part can their memory of in-country living play in shaping subsequent classroom experiences, not only for the students themselves but also for their classmates and teachers? This study explores changes in the motives of a study abroad…

As a new century begins for "The Modern Language Journal," we argue that highly effective pedagogy requires viewing language and language learning as both cognitive and social phenomena, and that teachers who seek to truly understand the nature of their responsibilities do not have the luxury of choosing one perspective over the other.…

In this article we set out to explore and discuss reasons for reading literary texts in university curricula of foreign languages. Our analysis is based on 2 sources of information: 16 syllabi of Spanish as a foreign language and a questionnaire in which 11 university instructors teaching these syllabi express their intentions. We point to a…

In this article, we extend Firth and Wagner's (1997) call for an ontological perspective that (re)unites the individual and the social by proposing some fundamental implications that this call has for second language (L2) classroom praxis and teacher education. We propose that the (re)unification of language and culture (re)establishes the unity…

Speech delivered at the New Jersey Foreign Language Teachers Association Convention, Atlantic City, New Jersey, November 6, 1970. (DS)

Paper presented at the third meeting of the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, April 15-17, 1971, in Detroit, Michigan. (DS)

Summary of the fifth annual meeting of the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages held in St. Paul, Minnesota, April 26-28, 1973. (RL)

This paper comments on an article by Tracy Terrell in this journal. Terrell is praised for his contribution to the debate over teaching communication versus structure in second languages. It is pointed out, however, that study and analysis of language structures requires understanding and memorization essential to cognitive development. (CHK)

A more natural approach to second language teaching in an academic situation is suggested, as follows: (1) The view of communicative competence and language acquisition in academic learning is sketched; (2) Three basic guidelines are discussed; (3) Practical implications of these guidelines with regard to classroom teaching are noted. (CHK)

Discusses whether the goal of language proficiency is reasonable or even possible given the language textbooks available. Examines the description of the French language in college-level French language textbooks (all of which take a structural approach) to see if they lend themselves to the acquisition of a functional speaking ability. (SED)

Articles on encouraging growth in foreign language study focus on the following: "Encouraging the Growth of Foreign Language Study"; "Creating Intrinsic Motivation to Learn World Languages"; "Encouraging Growth by Changing Perception"; "Making the Link Between Enrollment and Learning Goals: A School District's Impact"; "Foreign Language Education:…