It is proposed that etymological information, usually provided in native speaker's dictionaries but eliminated from learners' references, can serve several important functions such as disambiguate, relate words that are alphabetically far apart, illuminate by providing an image or reference, and motivate with interesting information. (Author/MSE)

Consistent areas of difficulty for Navajo and Chicano speakers learning English as a second language are summarized. Exercises to correct these specific problems are cited, using a contrastive approach. (HTH)

Proposes a new type of English-as-a-Second-Language dictionary--in electronic form--that presents typical phraseology rather than words in isolation. Online, without the constraints of space and linear organization, the dictionary can treat the multiword lexical units and common collocational patterns that cohere around a node word and illustrate…

Demonstrates how a constructivist approach to teacher education helps inexperienced teachers understand learning and teaching of aspect, a core grammatical concept. By consciously experiencing the process of narration, apprentice teachers construct deeper awareness of form/meaning aspectual correlations of the target language. More generally,…

Reports on the use of Systeme-D, a writing tool for learners of French that combines a bilingual word processor with an interconnected set of language reference materials, as a research tool to investigate the types of queries language learners use during the composing process. (24 references) (CB)

A discussion of errors made in second-language learning focuses on the control that the speaker himself exerts over mistakes and argues that this would be a useful area for further research. Implications of such analysis for second-language instruction are considered. (MSE)

Explains the rationale for the use of Spanish music in Spanish language classes, and describes students' reactions, how the music is used to help the listening/writing experience, and how recorded commercials in Spanish aid in learning language patterns. (GLR)

The author of an article on the spread and teaching of English as an international language (EIL) replies to others' response to his ideas on the role of English in various international circles, the contexts and patterns of use of English, and English second-language instruction. (MSE)

A discussion of two text-types commonly occurring in casual conversation, stories and gossip, (1) details four kinds of stories told in casual talk, (2) demonstrates that gossip is a culturally-determined process with a distinctive structure, and (3) considers implications for teaching English-as-a- Second-Language. Analysis is based on over three…

This micro-ethnographic classroom-based case study explores the teaching methodology in a first-grade French-immersion class. This study was carried out in a public elementary immersion school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where English-speaking children throughout the school learn the school curriculum through a second language (French), starting in…

Recent psychological evidence about "implicit" learning has strong implications for the educational arena. First, it contributes to counterbalance the predominance of "explicit" educational models, based on the transmission of formal rules, by considering informal active/manipulative behavior as the foundation of learning and knowledge-building.…

This is the first in a series of self-instructional modules dealing with common English idioms, and is intended for use in the learning of English as a foreign language. The idioms were selected for frequency and usage in up-to-date usage in North America. The situations in which the idioms appear are in authentic conversational English, many of…

Describes six oral language games that can help English as a second language students practice language patterns in a spontaneous yet meaningful context. (HOD)

Summarizes recent theory on communicative processes in language use, on the creation and exchange of meaning, and on the negotiation of roles in the classroom. Suggests exercises for activating and developing interactive skills between speakers and hearers in the foreign language. (EKN)

Discusses the use of stereotyped speech patterns as teaching material or as the basis of communicative exercises. Gives examples of the use of these gambits in drills and exercises in German. (EKN)