Activities which focus on form and communicative outcome are suggested for developing accuracy and fluency in second language students. Examples of such activities (with focus on the English as a second language learner) that vary the circumstances of communication in the classroom are presented. (Author/CB)

Summarizes the benefits and limitations of the use of story grammars in the elementary reading classroom. Provides suggestions for implementation in the classroom. (ARH)

A review of recent language research regarding the black English vernacular (BEV) considers new developments involving (1) the grammars of elderly and young speakers; (2) indications that BEV is not decreolizing but is actually diverging from white speech; and (3) the effect of contemporary developments on differences between black and white…

Presents concerns about children's growth as oral and written language users and how disagreements over teaching strategies can affect this growth. (SRT)

Discusses different characteristics of conversational English, including: pronunciation, ellipsis, use of "you" as a general pronoun, hesitation markers, subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, verbs, modifiers, comparisons, euphemisms, idioms, slang, and phatic/ritualistic expressions. (Author/CB)

Discusses the use of prepositional phrases as subjects and objects through consideration and analysis of: (1) characteristics of such phrases; (2) category status of prepositional phrases in typical noun phrase positions; and (3) sentences containing prepositional phrases in typical noun phrase positions. (CB)

Variables affecting the effectiveness of immersion language programs are evaluated, including sociolinguistic context, attitudes, the structure of immersion grammars, and the learning processes of the children. (MSE)

Reviews several German computer assisted instruction (CAI) programs and describes an experiment in CAI to discover if immediate reinforcement in self-pacing would enable the students to perform better on the final examination. The experiment was carried out with two homogeneous sections of second-semester students of German in high school.…

Analyzes a group of children who had been matched for English proficiency and socioeconomic status at the beginning of a school year but who differed in their school achievement at the end of that year. Considers competence in morphology, syntax, and vocabulary; verbosity; patterns of social interaction; first language performance; and personality…

Three approaches to language curriculum design are outlined: structural, functional, and experiential. A three-level model is proposed for a second language curriculum that integrates the three approaches and their goals into an adaptable curriculum meeting varied needs with consistent methodology and theory. Both linear and cyclical applications…

A study of the relative difficulty of four grammatical components of object complements (complement markers, personal pronouns, tense inflection, and word order) indicated that tense marking was found to be the most difficult for hearing-impaired students. It is suggested that data on first and second language acquisition be considered when…

Reports an investigation into possibilities of using word processors and text analysis software with English as second language (ESL) students to determine (1) if foreign students can learn to use computer equipment, (2) if students feel time invested is worthwhile, and (3) if ESL students' problems with writing American academic prose can be…

Describes a teaching method that uses the student's growing need to use the language as motivation. (CRH)

For many years rhetoric and grammar were linked in foreign language education, and then they drifted apart. More recently, pragmatics, the study of meaning related to language use in a natural context, has returned and appears in some form in the communicative approach, situational language instruction, and the notional functional approach. (MSE)

After citing factors (mainly the influence of linguistics and television) which have contributed to the present decline in correct English usage, ways are listed in which educators can teach students to write and speak correctly and effectively. (HD)