The article criticizes present-day overemphasis of contrastive analysis procedures in second language instruction. Recommendations are for language teachers to reappraise their classroom objectives and to give paramount importance to mastery of language use rather than mastery of language structure. Pedagogical procedures based on situational…

Some basic problems of current lower-division foreign language instruction are discussed from the standpoint of real-life language use, and specific measures for meeting some of the problems are suggested for learning German as a second language. Some of the significant discrepancies between the use of a language in real life and in the language…

Progress in the teaching of oral comprehension depends partly on the isolation of factors which block comprehension. Research in conjunction with an experimental course in English as a second language led to the definition of errors due to: (1) insufficient knowledge of the language and the cultural context of its use, and (2) a failure to…

This publication contains a summary of the discussions and conclusions of a Council of Europe symposium on the organization of modern language teaching/learning in the form of a unit/credit system, in order to allow for an approach based on the individual motivations and capacities of the adult learner. Principal discussion topics include: new…

This book presents chapters concerning various aspects of research in language arts and implications for language instruction. The works of individuals are mentioned throughout the book, and 1,168 references are included in a list of works cited in the text. The research topics covered involve language development, oral language, listening, the…

This book is designed for low-intermediate to advanced students of English as a second language. It provides a look at the world that awaits the foreign student who is to be suddenly immersed in an English-speaking society. The format involves a number of letters written by an American university student to a foreign student planning a trip to the…

This paper prepares teachers of English as a foreign language for many of the conditions they will encounter while teaching in the Arab world. The general theme is that attitudes of understanding and tolerance can lead to substantive improvements in professional morale and classroom effectiveness. Emphasizing the different regional factors and…

The papers in this volume fall into five categories. After "Introduction: Making the Invisible Visible" (Claire Kramsch), Part 1, "Theoretical Boundaries," includes "The Metamorphosis of the Foreign Language Director, or: Waking Up to Theory" (Mark Webber) and "Subjects-in-Process: Revisioning TA Development…

This paper explores the nature of multilingualism in an English-language international school environment through observations and interviews with students of Yamato College in Japan. It examines the institutional conflicts that result when pupil-generated multiculturalism is constrained within an ideologically narrow educational framework. (41…

The authors state that one key to successfully working with English language learners (ELLs) is to view them as a resource in the classroom since these students can offer information and perspectives about other countries and cultures. Additionally, many researchers support the use of scaffolding strategies to help ELLs organize their thoughts in…

A study investigated the communication strategies used by students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in electronic mail interactions with native speakers of English. Subjects were 22 university students in Taiwan paired with a like number of pre-service EFL teacher trainees in the United States. The discourse of 87 e-mail entries by the…

A study investigated the beliefs about second language learning among nine students of English as a Second Language (all female), and their teacher at Queen Arwa University (Yemen). The survey instrument consisted of five demographic statements and 47 statements concerning language learning in a Likert-type scaled response format. Results indicate…

This paper discusses the use of English as the main language of instruction in higher education in many developing nations, and reports on a pilot study of learning and teaching strategies used in Filipino- and English-language classrooms at De La Salle University in Manila, The Philippines. The study examined the "teacher talk" and…

This essay examines language simplification for second language learners as a linguistic and a pedagogic phenomenon, posing questions for further study by considering past research. It discusses linguistic simplification (LS) in relation to the development of artificial languages, such as Esperanto, "pidgin" languages, Basic English,…

This article discusses the incompatibility between the goal of communicative competence (defined more narrowly as minimal approximative communicative competence) and current practices of syllabus design, and suggests more relevant alternatives. Foreign language instruction is still dominated by the teaching of language structure for its own sake,…