This article reports on the design and use of a profiler for lexical sophistication (i.e., use of advanced vocabulary), which was created to assess the lexical richness of intermediate and advanced Swedish second language (L2) learners' French and Italian. It discusses how teachers' judgments (TJs) of word difficulty can contribute to the…

The so-called "threshold level," defined as minimum basic vocabulary, is analyzed. It is felt that the "Lexicon for Threshold-Level English" contains too many rare words and exemplary sentences that are empty of expression and sometimes unidiomatic. (Text is in German.) (IFS/MS)

A phrasebook for Polish-speaking refugees in the United States groups phrases in 19 units covering a wide range of situations and introducing the daily activities of American life. Two wordlists, one Polish-English and one English-Polish, provide the terms most frequently needed. The book is intended as a reference book for immediate use and not…

A phrasebook for Czech-speaking refugees in the United States groups phrases in 19 units covering a wide range of situations and introducing the daily activities of American life. Two wordlists, one Czech-English and one English-Czech, provide the terms most frequently needed. The book is intended as a reference book for immediate use and not as a…

A phrasebook for Romanian-speaking refugees in the United States groups phrases in 19 units covering a wide range of situations and introducing the daily activities of American life. Two wordlists, one Romanian-English and one English-Romanian, provide the terms most frequently needed. The book is intended as a reference book for immediate use and…

An analysis of Canadian French vocabulary and an experiment in increasing the communicative ability of French learners by adding Canadian French vocabulary and rules for its use to the syllabus are reported. (MSE)

Discusses the implications of the tendency of adult second-language learners to develop a well-structured, simple form of language outside the classroom, i.e. the Basic Variety (BV). Focuses on the structural properties of the BV, the status of these properties and the reasons why some structural properties of "fully fledged" languages are more…

Focusing on the benefits derived from using plain English in business and technical writing, this document summarizes the presentations at a forum of Better Business Bureau council members. Titles of the articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "English: Number One Language of Business" (W. H. Tankersley); (2) "What Is Plain…

Describes some of the mismatches that can occur between child knowledge and the controlled "primerese" language of texts. Finds ways in which children bring their linguistic knowledge to bear on the reading process. Indicates that the controls and distinctive features of primerese text are counterproductive. (MG)

The vocabularies of five- to eight-year-old blind children were sampled to help develop a graded series of braille reading books. Lists of words in alphabetic and frequency order are presented. (See TM 504 595 for availability). (Author/CTM)

This revision of a previous edition discusses an approach to language teaching called the Silent Way. This method is based on the notion that learning a foreign language is in many respects radically different from learning the mother tongue. It can be learned in the schools by artificial methods and with materials designed for the purpose. The…