This study investigated how and when foreign language competence makes a difference in the international operations of U.S.-based corporations, what skills are required, and how companies access them. Thirty-two interviews were conducted in nine companies of varying size and type, with people representing a variety of perspectives in human…

FOR AMERICA TO ACHIEVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEMS OF MODERN SOCIETY, IN A WORLD WHERE ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL DEPRIVATION ARE THE NORM, THE SPANISH LANGUAGE MUST BE RECOGNIZED AS THE MOST IMPORTANT, AND POTENTIALLY THE MOST REWARDING, PART OF THE MODERN LANGUAGE CURRICULUM. LANGUAGE PREFERENCES IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE GENERALLY FOLLOWED THE…

Speech delivered at the National Council on the Humanities, on October 21, 1971, in Washington, D.C. Author is Executive Secretary of the Modern Language Association of America. (DS)

Discusses the distinctions between the acquisition of a second language and of a foreign language. Proposes a tridimensional model for all varietal manifestations of foreign, second, and native language acquisition. Describes Singapore English and the English used by a group of Chinese-medium educated Singaporeans in terms of the model. (EKN)

How can students best come to "know" the non-Western world? An exchange of letters between a parent and the headmaster of the Tatnall School in Wilmington, Delaware, consider the issue. (Editor/RK)

Reviews three themes examined in this special-issue of the journal on the emerging subfield of language-in-development: basic definitional issues; the locus and scope of language in development; and the role of English and other languages in language and development. Proposes a working definition of language in development as the resolution of…

To mark the 40th anniversary of "Language Learning," the journal's first article is reprinted and identifies five motives for studying foreign languages: (1) "knowledge of a foreign language is the sign of a cultivated man"; (2) foreign insularism; (3) necessity of creating a political fusion; (4) trade and colonization; and (5) scientific and…

Examines the perception of four English vowels by adult native speakers of German. The role of foreign-language experience in the perception of second-language vowels was examined through labeling responses to members of synthetic continua in which vowel duration and spectrum were varied factorily. (42 references) (GLR)

College second language programs offer more to students than knowledge of the language. Language study can challenge students intellectually and creatively and contribute to their academic and social development, even when language study is begun at this level. Value is found in the substance, process, and outcomes of language study. (Author/MSE)

Examines four issues that have arisen as a result of the spread of English: (1) the use of English in connected communities; (2) the function of English in Outer Circle countries; (3) the growth of English-knowing bilinguals in Outer Circle countries; and (4) the pedagogical implications of English-knowing bilingualism. (Author/VWL)

Discusses the variety of language centers on college and university campuses, ranging from the rationale for the center to questions and objections about its existence on campus. Discusses relation of the center to the foreign language department, the parameters of the position of center director, the role of the less commonly taught languages,…

Provides an overview of the economic approach to the question of the value of English. Discusses reasons why this question is attracting increasing attention, and examines the labor market in Switzerland, presenting methodological aspects and providing fundamental statistical reports. Results indicate that for Switzerland as a whole, English…

Provides an overview of English language education in Cuba. Discusses the historical role of English in Cuba, the introduction of English for specific purposes, and the current status of English instruction. (Author/VWL)

Linguists and language specialists, as well as the lay public, have generally viewed language from a perspective that is fundamentally positivist in orientation. We tend to assume that language as an abstract entity exists as just such a knowable entity. More problematically, we assume that particular languages also exist as knowable entities…

For higher education, two recent changes in world language practices are crucial: the emergence of English as the default language of international communication, and the technology of the Internet. The first appears to have contributed to problems of motivation for English-speaking learners of foreign languages. Information is provided about…