Reviews some of the current literature on the sociolinguistic aspects of ESL. (RM)

Research has indicated that the elderly retain the ability to learn, and specifically to learn new languages. Furthermore, the increasingly greater proportion of old people in the population demands that their need for continued intellectual stimulation be met. In the absence of explicit motives for learning an ethnic language, Esperanto is a good…

The intermediate competence of adult second language learners is qualitatively different from native speaker competence. Learning strategies are constants in the diachronic modifications of learner competence. A study of the acquisition of interrogatives in French reveals limited strategies and the heterogeneity of linguistic models needed to…

Reports on 2 investigations of problems of teaching adults (ages 18-40) vs. teaching pupils 10 and 11 years old. Differences are observed in character, temperament, motivation, work capacity, mental processes. Learning ability increases with degree of education rather than age alone. This fact must be considered in a differentiated methodology.…

A brief study of the psychological dimensions of learning in relation to foreign language instruction for adults. Suggestopaedia takes into account suggestive factors which constantly influence us without our being aware of them. Psychology and counselling techniques have much to contribute to this field. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

Proposes that psychological and linguistic regression are integral to the process of learning a second language. In similar essays in French and English, students appeared passive, needy and narcissistic in French, but more intellectual, rational and humorous in English. Theoretical explanations and their implications are suggested. (CHK)

This paper is intended to provide information and suggestions that may be useful to the volunteer or professional teacher of English who is working with adult Indochinese refugees. In addition to offering general information on language teaching at the adult level, the guide provides information on the linguistic background of the refugees,…

Using information from her pilot study at Brighton (England) Polytechnic and in-depth interviews at major British institutions teaching intensive foreign language courses to businessmen, the author discusses the meaning of "intensive" courses and their effectiveness, concluding that good intensive courses, properly selected, do provide…

If the study of foreign languages cannot be begun at the elementary level, it should be delayed until after adolescence, because adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18 have the greatest difficulty learning languages. At the tertiary level, emphasis should be on the reading skill. (CFM)

This issue of the ALSED newsletter contains: (1) a description of the Anthropology and Language Science in Educational Development (ALSED) program; (2) information on the meeting of experts on diversification of methods and techniques for teaching a second language or foreign languages (Paris, Unesco, 15-20 September, 1975), which discussed such…

This study analyzes Spanish and German errors committed by adult native speakers of English enrolled in elementary and intermediate levels. Four written samples were collected for each target language, over a period of five months. Errors were categorized according to their possible source. Types of errors were ordered according to their…

Drawing upon direct teaching-administrative experiences at the City Literary Institute (London), one of the largest centers of "non-vocational" language study, the author has developed practical guidelines for teaching beginning language courses to adults. An introductory chapter reflects the adult learning scene in Britain as well as…

This study focuses on a native speaker of Chinese, in her 40's, who began to learn English in her late 20's when she emigrated to the United States. It was discovered that the subject was able to self-correct nearly every error she made in casual speech when the errors were pointed out to her after their commission. Furthermore, in nearly every…

This paper describes the functional-notional approach to language teaching and learning in terms of the ways it can be used to meet the communicative needs of the potential language learners, particularly adults, who vary in what they want to do in the target language. It contrasts the functional system with conventional approaches, illustrates…