Proposes a framework for foreign language testing that consists of several different types of speech interactions. The interactions are assessed with rating scales whose criteria vary according to the intended use of the test results. The framework is evaluated in terms of reliability and validity. A sample oral test is given. (Author/DJD)

Discusses different characteristics of conversational English, including: pronunciation, ellipsis, use of "you" as a general pronoun, hesitation markers, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, verbs, modifiers, comparisons, euphemisms, idioms, slang, and phatic/ritualistic expressions. (Author/CB)

This study examines the hypothesis that the French used by a large number of Franco-Ontarians represents a linguistic system (or several systems) that differs from Standard French. In addition, a review of previous research leads to the inverse hypothesis, that Ontarian French represents a body of different systems or sub-systems that are more or…