Argues that a major cause of the inconsistent use of the past tense even by very advanced learners of English as a second language is an inadequate understanding of its actual meaning and discourse function. Suggestions are offered for teaching and practicing this tense in context. (SED)

Discusses issues in functional approaches to language teaching and describes two experiments on the social factors involved in the language functions of requesting, thanking, greeting, and taking leave. Considers what the data from the experiments mean for second-language learning and teaching in terms of syllabus design and teaching techniques.…

Discusses the hypothesis that pupils who read and understand a first language text (in this case, Romanian) fairly well, will be able to improve their reading and understanding of a second language (German) text after having learned and exercised certain reading strategies in both languages. (SED)

Discusses the apparent opposition between the concepts of language learning and language acquisition in the context of adult second-language study. Proposes that these two concepts are mutually supportive, not mutually exclusive. Demonstrates how the implications of learning vs. acquisition can be integrated into a communicative…

Discusses problems encountered in reading of English by foreign students who are unaccustomed to English script. Considering two levels of reading, students having difficulties at one level will regress by reason of vertical decalage to a lower level of learning strategy. This is manifested by a more intent focus on individual letters if the pupil…

There is nothing in the theory of language teaching which prescribes that communication skills need be acquired through any specialised context in order to be used in that context. In the teaching of scientific English, not only scientific topics but a whole range of motivational stimuli can be tapped. (Author/CFM)

Most modern language teachers consider commercial films prepared for native speakers of the target language useful as a teaching device only for advanced students. The results of an analysis of the vocabulary content of "High Tide at Noon" seem to indicate that any student with a basic English vocabulary could follow the script. (CFM)

Regular debating can be an effective way of improving the performance of ESL pupils and of assessing their language-learning propensities. It requires a lot of listening as well as speaking and generally seems to foster confidence in language use. The relationships set up in debating are pupil-pupil rather than pupil-teacher. (CFM)

A report is made of a computer based instructional project in Chinese using the system known as PLATO conducted at the University of Illinois that has resulted in the creation of a file of three thousand Chinese characters and a set of Chinese lessons for first year students. (RM)

The uses of a computer-based instructional system known as PLATO in teaching Russian, both in audio-lingual and reading-translation courses, at the University of Illinois are described. Examples of a variety of drills are given. An evaluation of the method is made. (RM)

The making of a minute, color videocassette tape on winemaking is described. The tape is bilingual with Spanish and English on separate audio tracks and is accompanied by a complete script. Pedagogical and production considerations in the making of the tape are discussed. (RM)

Describes the immersion experiences developed by one high school to involve foreign language students in speaking the target language over a period of hours or days. Experiences ranged from an afternoon of language games and a party for first-level students to a weekend involving 165 people from 13 schools. (KM)

This article discusses sociolinguistics and how certain of its norms bear a direct relationship to the teaching objectives of EFL. (CLK)

This paper studies the lexical changes between pre-1949 Mandarin and the pu-tong-hua of today. The extent of change and the identification and description of a few cases of linguistic change are considered. The relative significance of these changes and remarks on pedagogy conclude the paper. (Author/CFM)

This research study aims to find out the experiences of Turkish EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers in the United States regarding the differences between their understanding and use of personal space and that of Americans, and to discuss how the issue is closely related to foreign language instruction. The study will center around a…