This discussion addresses the need for teaching vocabulary in the framework of second language instruction, aiming at communicative competence and using authentic documents as instructional material. The analysis is based on "Le Niveau-Seuil" (Threshold Level), and discusses the following elements of a functional methodology: (1) the fact that…

A notional syllabus places the greatest emphasis on the use of the language, unlike most foreign language syllabuses, which emphasize its structural form. Each entry defines a type of purposeful communication. When the student has mastered the syllabus, he has thus acquired a communicative competence. (CFM)

Describes the functional/notional approach to language instruction, discussing key features, misconceptions, and practical applications of the model. (AM)

Compares priorities of language functions (1) between community college and university studnets; (2) between students enrolled in traditional language courses and those in conversational language courses; and (3) among students in first-term French, German, and Spanish at a community college. Results are presented in six tables. (Author/LMO)

This paper focuses on the mechanism by which the successful learner acquires a second language. The author postulates a core language, the common core of the speaker's native and target languages, and states that the second language becomes an extension of this common core. Whatever language-specific features are added while acquiring the second…