Language learning activities involving time-pressured repetition of similar content have been shown to facilitate improvements in fluency. However, concerns have been voiced about whether these gains might be offset by reduced levels of grammatical accuracy. This descriptive study tracked the oral proficiency of 32 Japanese university students…

The present study aims at investigating the effect of noticing on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' speaking accuracy. For so doing, 32 Iranian EFL students were selected and randomly assigned to two conversation classes namely, control and experimental groups. Before the treatment both groups had a speaking pre-test. During 32…

This study describes how oral language was assessed in an advanced-level college foreign language (FL) conversation course. Learners used the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Proficiency Guidelines to guide self-analyses of their oral production at intervals throughout the course. The intent was to provide opportunities for…

Current evidence demonstrating the importance of language play in second-language (L2) development rests largely on qualitative analyses of L2 discourse. Although these rich descriptions have illustrated a number of important functions of language play, further study of the phenomenon is necessary to understand its potential to facilitate…

Tasks can vary in terms of difficulty and implementation conditions, and these in turn may affect the nature of the language produced by the learner. There have been a large number of studies which have investigated the effects of these task properties and implementation conditions on the language the learner produces. To date, results have been…

Reasons are given for restoring grammatical study to a more central place in second language study. One reason given is the limitations inherent in the objectives of an audiolingual approach; another is the indirect impact of the enormous advances being made in modern linguistics. (RM)

A collection of four short articles giving detailed lesson plans using magazines, editorials and recipes to teach grammar. "A" is used as the example in these lesson plans. The first article deals with avoir and the past participle. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

More foreign-language professors are stressing speaking rather than grammar in their courses. They are encouraging their students to talk as much as 90 percent of the time. At the heart of the new approach is the concept of "proficiency"--what the student can do with the language. (MLW)

This article compares first and second language acquisition and applies conclusions pertaining to first language acquisition to second language learning, specifically that a command of grammar is essential and this grammar is independent of that associated with the written language. (CLK)

This textbook is aimed towards the beginning student of Swahili and is designed to cover almost all the main features of Swahili structure. The course is divided into 87 "cycles," each of which begins with an "M" phase (mimicry, meaning, manipulation, memorization), and ends with a "C" phase (conversation and…

The materials in this volume are intended to supplement existing tape materials in the lessons of the basic course in French. The exercises begin with lesson 13 of the Basic Course and continue through lesson 63. Each unit in this manual concentrates on a grammatical point and contains the following elements: (1) learning objectives, (2)…

This is one of a series of self-teaching textbooks initially prepared for the Armed Forces and now offered to the public. Book 1 is divided into two main sections, each consisting of five lessons and a review lesson. Each lesson is divided into several sections: basic sentences, word study, pronunciation practice, grammar and conversational…

This pamphlet, provided in both English and Spanish, presents a brief overview of Situational Reinforcement (SR), a teaching methodology used in the materials published by the Institute of Modern Languages. Explanations are given concerning its theoretical basis, its practical applications, the history of its development, and the support it finds…