Communicative motivation is necessary for exercises leading to conversational ability; therefore "micro-conversation" is offered (and explained) as a replacement for traditional exercises for stimulating students to communicative response. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Some general views on language teaching and language programs are expressed. Listening and reading comprehension, the receptive skills, and speaking and writing, the productive skills, are discussed. (SC)

Oral work is considered the most effective way of laying the foundations for language proficiency. Recognition and production of vowels and consonants, use of a pronouncing dictionary, and practice in accent rhythm and intonation should all be included in a pronunciation course. (SC)

For adults, there is a correlation between the years of formal study of English and English proficiency. Formal instruction in general is more beneficial for second language learning than exposure to the second language in natural situations. The essential contributions of formal instruction are investigated. (Author/ND)

A brief review of the theory and techniques of programmed instruction as it is implemented in the teaching of foreign languages in this country. (RM)

A number of recommendations are made for the teaching of English to Thai students of science. (RM)

The comprehension approach to second language education emphasizes acquisition of listening comprehension prior to and as a vehicle for acquisition of other language skills. The following articles on this approach are collected here: (1) "Nonlinear Learning and Language Teaching" (Winitz); (2) "Aital cal aprene las lengas…

This study investigates topic units and suggests some practical applications to the teaching of composition to native speakers and second language learners. A topic unit is a structural unit beyond the sentence. It is composed of clauses and consists of two parts -- a head proposition and a set of comments. The head proposition consists of the…

A course in written translation at the University of Northern Iowa is described. The prerequisite for enrollment is successful completion of advanced third-year composition. Students are permitted to take the course more than once. Course materials include scholarly essays, "how to" articles, light reading from magazines, news items, editorials,…

This volume of the "TESOL Newsletter" includes the following topics/materials: preparing and presenting a professional paper; a list of journals, newsletters, and other publications for teachers of English as a second language (ESL); content area instruction in elementary level ESL; helping the ESL student move to English-speaking…

LANGUAGES SHOW CHARACTERISTIC DIFFERENCES IN THE WAY IN WHICH THEY ORGANIZE OBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE AND THESE DIFFERENCES ARE REFLECTED IN THE FORMAL AND SEMANTIC PATTERNING OF EACH LANGUAGE. A CONTRASTIVE APPROACH TO LANGUAGE LEARNING WHICH PAYS PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO POINTS OF FORMAL AND FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ELEMENTS OF THE NATIVE…

An examination of some of the learning difficulties of Peace Corps volunteers 45 years of age and older who have attempted to learn a second language, combined with a review of research findings on the learning capacity of older learners, reveals areas in which the older learner can be helped to more complete success in foreign language study.…

Transformational grammar is briefly defined in this paper, and some of the key literature on the subject is indicated. Examples of transformational operation on Spanish sentences are used to demonstrate how this approach makes the teaching-learning process easier and more efficient. (SS)