Two hypotheses explaining the cause of errors in second language production are reviewed and compared. Classroom techniques related to each are described. The viewpoint of each theory on which errors should be corrected, when, by whom, and how is summarized. (PMJ)

The cognitive restrictions on the beginning second language learner's capacity to deal with structural diversity and the concomitant developmental regularities of his sentence structure are examined. Learners utilize the formal features of a language, the syntactic categories, as building blocks in organizing the structure of the language. (PMJ)

Individualized reading and writing tasks are suggested for use in a functional approach to teaching English as a second language. The tasks, each of which has a product, an audience, a function, and a linguistic focus, are based on students' communicative needs in various situations. Individualization promotes language learning. (PMJ)

Reports an exploratory study on the acquisition of one type of nonnarrative writing by 10 fifth grade beginning English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students, including a description of 6 lessons leading up to the writing. The findings support the position that young children learning ESL can cope with linguistic and cognitive demands of…

Discusses two principles of the experiential learning approach as it pertains to English-as-a-second-language instruction in Canada: (1) learning is an emotional experience that entails personal investment; and (2) to learn is to change. (Author/CB)

Draws on a Los Angeles research project with Hispanic immigrant women with limited English to address the ambivalence with which many women approach the task of becoming literate in English. Gender differences and the relationship of literacy to sexuality, violence, and the public/private split between male/female worlds are considered. (22…

Reports on the training experiences of workers from linguistically diverse backgrounds via a focus on their learning activities in community college apprenticeship programs. A survey identified areas of linguistic difficulty that students were experiencing in their coursework and ways in which instructors could reduce these barriers to success.…

The sound system of English is described in all its complexity, from the relationship between spelling and pronunciation to the rules of connected speech, focusing on the methods and rationale of teaching pronunciation of English, particularly to English as a second language learners. (CB)