The present study explores subjunctive recognition and production among low-proficiency learners in the written and aural modalities. It seeks to establish whether mood recognition and production are increased due to irregular morphology and/or input manipulation. A total of 97 participants enrolled in second-semester Spanish classes completed…

The Simple View of Reading (SVR) model posits that reading is the product of word decoding and language comprehension and that oral language (listening) comprehension is the best predictor of reading comprehension once word-decoding skill has been established. The SVR model also proposes that there are good readers and three types of poor…

The Simple View of Reading (SVR) model, which posits that reading comprehension is the product of word decoding and language comprehension that make independent contributions to reading skill, has been found to explain the acquisition of first language (L1) reading and second language (L2) reading in young English language learners (ELLs).…

Although previous research has documented the relationship between voice-onset time (VOT) and the production of foreign accent in English and Spanish, less is known about the role of this cue in perception. VOT refers to the aspiration that occurs between the release of a stop consonant and the beginning of the following segment. In Spanish and…

Suggests classroom activities for improving listening comprehension skills in beginning and intermediate students. A passage of connected discourse from a native speaker of Spanish is provided as a model for realistic monologue. Sample test items and suggestions for suitable testing techniques are also given. (LMO)

Comparison of the listening comprehension of second language learners completing three different prelistening activities after one and two exposures to a passage shows that scores for subjects completing the question preview activity were higher than for subjects completing the filler activity and that additional exposure improves comprehension.…

An experiment is reported which was designed to determine whether the beginning student's ability to discriminate the sounds of Spanish can be increased by specific training which supplements the current texts. Training to improve discrimination included analytical material from the text and lectures, as well as listening exercises. (Author/RM)

A study investigated the ability of second language learners of Spanish to simultaneously process form and meaning during input. The students' conscious attention to form competed with conscious attention to meaning, and it is suggested that learners could attend to form during the intake process only when input was easily understandable. (CB)

Some concepts to help teachers adhere to classroom instruction in the target language are presented and discussed. These include ideas related to the teacher's speech (visual cues, speed, and repetition and rephrasing), student speech (teacher-assisted and student-dominated communication), out-of-class assignments, and teacher assessment of…

Describes a phonetics experiment at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, to test and improve pronunciation in Spanish with the use of an audio device known as Tok-Bak. (DS)

Discusses some of the problems encountered in listening to and understanding a second language, and some means to overcome these problems. Addresses particularly three areas: (1) the difficulty in remembering messages contained in extended speech, (2) the impact of speed and slurring on comprehension, and (3) the student's lexical knowledge. (MES)

Study looks at whether Spanish-speaking learners of Brazilian Portuguese as a foreign language demonstrates advantage or disadvantage in acquisition of semi-open vowels e and o. To research the question, eight students enrolled in first-year Portuguese were given a listening discrimination test composed of 18 minimal pairs to determine the extent…