The research reported in this paper investigates what types of inter-cultural contact Hungarian schoolchildren have, what kind of language-related attitudes they can give account of and how they see the role of contact situations in affecting their attitudinal and motivational dispositions towards the L2, the L2 speaking communities and the…

This research seeks to extend our current knowledge by exploring the relationship between preferred language strategies, age, proficiency, and self-efficacy beliefs. Responding to the call for more replication of strategy research and for research in different cultural contexts, this research was undertaken in Botswana between 2002 and 2005. The…

This article considers how 3 fundamental concepts of second language acquisition (SLA), the native speaker, interlanguage, and the language learner have fared since Firth and Wagner (1997). We review the ascendancy of these concepts and their relationship to the traditional dichotomies of language learning versus language use and individual mind…

Self-repetition is commonly found in spoken discourse, and it could be argued that it is an interactional necessity. Self-repetition in spontaneous talk is pervasive and performs a variety of functions. Some regard it as signalling redundancy, disfluency, or both, in spoken language, whereas others consider it to be facilitating the production of…

This report examines the transferability of five indirectness strategies realized by the "conventions of usage" of Japanese indirect requests when Japanese learners of English realize English indirect requests in four situations. Subjects representing two proficiency groups--beginning/intermediate and highly advanced--were asked to undertake an…

(Text is in French.)

Definitions of communicative competence and research on developing communicative competence in a second language are reviewed and implications for teaching are discussed. Communicative competence refers not only to knowledge of the forms of a language but to their functions and appropriate use in context. Five areas of communicative competence are…

The criteria employed in most textbooks to differentiate "ser" and "estar" followed by an adjective are mainly semantic. Most exercises offer to second language learners too high a proportion of "estar" usages, a practice that leads to overgeneralization with regard to the use of "estar." An experiment was…

The role of grammar in foreign language study should be shaped by realistic expectations of what academic study of a second language can accomplish. The temptation to emphasize grammar instruction above all else is reinforced by the patness of grammar instruction, by the measurability of student proficiency in grammar, and by the teacher's own…

The so-called "threshold level," defined as minimum basic vocabulary, is analyzed. It is felt that the "Lexicon for Threshold-Level English" contains too many rare words and exemplary sentences that are empty of expression and sometimes unidiomatic. (Text is in German.) (IFS/MS)

Demonstrates the operation of the universal principles of lexical simplification, through an examination of its use in translation; second language learning and teaching, and simplified reading texts. (Author/AM)

This Spanish lesson consists of an essay on the use of "usted" and "tu," followed by a series of exercises including questions on the text, vocabulary, grammar and the use of the subjunctive. (Text is in Spanish.) (CHK)

A fictitious letter from "Johnny" to his former high school language teacher, describing his linguistic experiences in Europe and his feelings about the learning of languages. (DB)

Reports on a study of the use of English by students and graduates of German Hauptschulen ("terminal" junior high schools). Examines FL requirements for various occupations. Finds that good students make the most use of their English, but mostly in their personal lives. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)