The current study examines the role of instruction in developing L2 learners' ability to comprehend two types of implicatures: indirect refusals and indirect opinions. According to Taguchi (2005), these implicatures differ in the degrees of conventionality involved in producing them, hence requiring different degrees of processing effort on the…

This article investigates the different types of language classes for Uralic languages in higher education contexts to derive principles in course planning for minority language teaching. As a micro-level example, a foreign language class for South Estonian, aimed at a general audience at LMU Munich, is analysed and informs the discussion of…

With the spread of the Internet, students now have greater opportunities to use Japanese outside of the classroom. For example, they can interact with other Japanese speakers through instant messaging or social networking, or utilize online dictionaries and translation tools to decipher websites in ways that would be impossible with traditional…

Focuses on an understanding of the term, "cultural awareness," and suggests the issue is clouded since the word "culture" lends itself to variable interpretation. In addition, the description of what is actually included under cultural awareness has undergone considerable changes as it appears in the different sequential…

Discusses the Graded Objectives for Adults Learning (GOLF) Russian program. The aim of the GOLF program is to have four levels, with Level Four being considered equivalent to a good GCSE pass, at which stage students will have a good working knowledge of the language and a wide vocabulary. (CK)

Reviews current approaches to second-language syllabus design in the United Kingdom and proposes a model for planning a five-year course of study within the national curriculum framework that will take account of both the meanings a learner may wish to express and the grammatical knowledge needed, i.e., a model reconciling the semantic and…

Examines alternative A-level syllabuses of second-language courses with a view to establishing what implicit definitions and interpretations of cultural learning they embody. The article focuses on that part of course content that fosters understanding of a foreign culture as an integral part of communicative competence. Assessment objectives are…

Describes a two-year Anglo-French pilot project undertaken to develop a systematic program of study for understanding foreign cultures while learning the language of that culture. The teachers participating in the project integrated the project material with their own syllabuses and used it to extend their language skills. (eight references) (CK)

Overviews government policy of national coordination aimed at achieving broad agreements on curriculum objectives for the General Certificate for Secondary Education and providing examinations reflecting that agreement. This article also presents the experience of teachers and examiners regarding the validity of the government's claim as to the…

Examines specific approaches to the acquisition and teaching of word, syntax, and text attack skills in foreign language (FL) classes. The role played by computers in second-language reading is considered, and a discussion of problems currently facing the teacher who wishes to allocate reading a more prominent place in the FL learning program is…

Describes an inservice course for sixth-form teachers to examine ways of moving away from course books and discussing ways of getting pupils to be more competent orally, especially in the context of discussion issues as opposed to general conversation. Two intensive courses were used as the basis for the inservice day. (CK)