Compares competence of the "native hearer" with that of the foreign learner. Refers to research in auditory comprehension, particularly to the "motor theory of speech perception" and sequential psycholinguistics. Presents exercises on various components and on the complex development of auditory competence. (IFS/WGA)

Discusses in detail a technique, called LES (Listen, Enumerate, and Start), for developing the listening skills of adult ESL (English as a Second Language) students. Students listen to an utterance and then answer questions such as the number of words in a particular sentence, the number of unknown words, etc. (CFM)

Suggests ways to overcome the learner's difficulty in understanding spoken English, e.g., assimilation, elision, change of tempo and of style, and the reduction of stresses. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Aural comprehension deserves more emphasis. Various test types are critically discussed. Suggestions are given for producing and applying one's own tests. An account is given of two examples in the author's experience. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

A study was conducted at Nanyang University in Singapore with Chinese-educated students who supposedly received 12 years of instruction in English but who were still deficient in the language. Comprehension of four different English accents were tested, and two tests of measuring aural comprehension were compared. (SW)

Maintains that aural comprehension does not develop automatically in FL teaching, but must and can be systematically trained and improved. The inner processes in aural comprehension are set forth. Suggestions are given for the actual teaching situation. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

This article focuses on two elements of the dialogue: the "real-life" quality of the language (where to find "real-life" language, how to check its authenticity, how to record it) and the element of unpredictability (how to create "real-life" dialogues with unexpected responses which necessitate well-developed listening skills). (CFM)

At this time, there are few readily available tests that measure aural structure abilities in lower-level ESL classes in adult or high school. In the past two years, however, the Ilyin Oral Interview (Newbury House, 1972,76) has been successfully adapted from its one-to-one format to a mass listening test. It is being used in San Francisco Bay…

This article affirms the pedagogical validity of using radio commercials in English as second language listening classes and offers suggestions on how to introduce this type of material. (CFM)

An experiment was conducted to determine the possibility of adding a listening comprehension test to the English matriculation exam in Israel. The testing method and teachers' and pupils' reactions are noted, and the test itself is included. (Available from English Inspectorate, Ministry of Education and Culture, P. O. Box 292, Jerusalem, Israel.)…

This article reports on a study to identify listening, and aural comprehension difficulties experienced by students of English, specifically RELC (Regional English Language Centre in Singapore) course members. The most critical errors are discussed and conclusions about foreign language learning are drawn. (CLK)

Understanding spoken English is often difficult for students of English as a second language because words are run together. Some of the common types of word blendings are: final consonant sounds, links with beginning vowel sound, same consonant is shared across word borders, and similar consonants blend. (SW)

An experimental test consisting of dialogue with intermittent pauses for responses and a white noise accompaniment was given to non-English speakers who were candidates for admission to the English Department at Bar Ilan University in order to evaluate aural comprehension. Development of the test and results are reported. (RM)