A special journal issue on French language immersion programs in Canada consists of these articles: "The Immersion Phenomenon" (H. H. Stern); "For My Kids, It's French without Tears" (Judy Gibson); "A 'First' for a Toronto High School" (Claire Mian); "The Teachers, Key to the Success Story" (Andre Obadia);…

Although computerized instructional materials for foreign language instruction have begun to become available, computer assisted instruction (CAI) in this field has not lived up to its promise for four reasons: poorly designed materials, incompatible machines, incompatibility of machines with textbooks, and equipment costs. Real CAI in classical…

The experimental addition of speech output to computer-based Esperanto lessons using speech synthesized from text is described. Because of Esperanto's phonetic spelling and simple rhythm, it is particularly easy to describe the mechanisms of Esperanto synthesis. Attention is directed to how the text-to-speech conversion is performed and the ways…

The "nuts and bolts" of test construction concern the following areas: (1) common problems in test construction, (2) successful test formats, (3) specific testing concerns in the French individualized program (IFP) at the Ohio State University, and (4) references to help the test constructor. The specific problems considered deal with whether or…

The following papers are included: "Bilingual Education in the Eighties: Making a Good Thing Better"; "How Bilingual Multicultural Education Can Save the World"; "Some Personal Reflections on the Bilingual Education Movement and the Challenge Ahead"; "Toward Understanding Cultural Difference in Public…

Four alternative foreign language curricula for college students are described. A course in business French may appeal to students who want their foreign language study to be marketable to prospective employers. The instructor in such a course will find his/her chief task to be the collection of suitable materials; a variety of suggestions from…

Some of the errors in selected areas of English grammar and lexis made by a sample of 100 first year college students from Madhya Pradesh, India, were investigated. The errors of students are described in linguistic terms, and some of the probable sources of errors are explained. The rules of grammar and usage that should be established to help…

An integrated approach to teaching English composition to undergraduate students in Indian universities is proposed. The integration in approach is realized in terms of an onward progression from the first to the third year of the degree course. The idea of an integrated approach (viewing the sentence and the paragraph in an integrated manner) can…

The following articles on second language learning are collected here: (1) "Second-Language Study: Historical Background and Current Status" by Kenneth D. Chastain; (2) "The Value of Second-Language Learning" by Gilbert A. Jarvis; (3) "Psychology and Linguistics as Bases for Language Pedagogy" by Wilga M. Rivers; (4) "Differentiation of Language…

This conference covered the following topics: (1) individualized instruction in Arabic, French, German, Latin, Russian, and Spanish at the Ohio State University; (2) individualized instruction in the same languages at other institutions; and (3) individualized instruction in other languages. Panel discussions included individualized instruction at…

Review of neurolinguistic and psycholinguistic research regarding older (over 40 years of age) second language learners suggests classroom implications for dealing with this population's pronunciation problems and ways to capitalize on their superiority to younger students in terms of higher order linguistic processing. (CB)

An innovative foreign language methodology, " Read-and-Speak," was tried in a year-long pilot section of beginning French. The method involves: (1) massive easy readings assigned from the outset; (2) speaking the foreign language from the start; (3) delaying formal grammar instruction until April, when an entire introductory text is…

Describes a fifth-semester university course in German in which students analyze the stylistic features of the language and its function in specific cultural contexts, such as films, speeches, songs, and newspapers. The course is conducted entirely in German and focuses on a single stylistic theme each week. (SED)

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)

A study investigated the writing strategies used by English as a second language (ESL) students in writing electronic mail (e-mail) messages, and to what extent certain ESL teaching variables influenced students' use of writing strategies. Subjects were 16 ESL teachers and their 208 university students. Students were administered a 50-item…