To determine formal principles of discourse processing and production, a study reviewed theories in various disciplines related to language and/or thought and thereby rationalized an approach of quantitative matrix analysis to the problems caused by discrepant discourse structures encountered in second language learning. Statistical analyses of…

This handbook resulted from a project to develop a tape-based alternative test of language proficiency in less commonly taught languages. The objective was to produce a test that is modeled on and readily interpretable by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages/Interagency Language Roundtable (ACTFL/ILR) proficiency guidelines…

Fifty-five structures of the Chinese language are described and their particular usage patterns are discussed for the use of teachers, linguists, and advanced students of Chinese. Each structure is listed by its major structural element(s), its grammatical element(s), or a combination of the two. The examination of each structure consists of an…

Two articles address teaching English in the Peoples Republic of China. In "Why Bother About Culture in English Language Teaching?," Hu Wenzhong attempts to determine opinions about the importance of awareness of cultural traits through a study of 36 English-speaking teachers at Chinese institutions and 64 Chinese students who had…

An intensive summer training course in Mandarin Chinese designed to help currently employed language teachers introduce exploratory Mandarin Chinese courses to their schools is described. Training current staff eliminated three common barriers to exploratory program introduction: needs for (1) additional teaching staff; (2) additional funds; and…

A study investigated the process of learning French by Chinese students, as revealed by student errors in 48 compositions and 33 oral reports. Grammatical, or competency, errors were categorized by type and frequency. Analysis of the results shows the most frequent errors to be, in declining order of occurrence: in the use of articles; choice of…

A discussion of semantic interpretation argues that contradictions such as "Sue's both right and wrong" are assigned consistent propositional interpretations such as "Sue's partly right and partly wrong" by universal semantic principles, which obviates analysis via conversational maxims and implicatures. First, it is shown from investigation of…

This handbook is for teachers to use in the classroom and as a reference source for information about Asia and Asian-Americans. The handbook uses information about geography and culture to teach skills such as almanac, atlas, and encyclopedia use. Other student exercises include: how to sequence a Chinese fairy tale and present it to the class,…

An annotated bibliography of curriculum materials for the Chinese language consists of 81 items universally available through the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) or the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). The materials concern the teaching of Mandarin, Cantonese, and Foochow, and relate to the following topics:…

While all languages use shape to classify unfamiliar objects, some languages as diverse as Mandarin, Thai, Japanese, Mohawk, and American Sign Language lexicalize these and other types of description as noun classifiers. Classification does not develop from a fixed set of features in the object, but is discourse-sensitive and invoked when it would…

This paper examines Tung's ideas of Chinese education for the ruler, for the common people, and for government servants. Tung, an important educational theorist and Confucian philosopher in China's history, suggested the imperial examination system which led to employment in the imperial civil service. It is the thesis of this paper that there was…

This issue contains the following articles: "Progressive Decontrol through Deletion," by Robert C. Weissberg; "The Scrutable Chinese," by Jason B. Alter; "Gadgets: Some Non-Verbal Tools for Teaching Pronunciation," by Judy Gilbert; "ELI and English Skills in JFS Library-Media Complex," by Curtis Fawson; and "Aural Comprehension: Mini Lessons in…

This second volume of Proceedings from the Annual Conference on Minority Studies departs from the precedent set in the first volume. Its structure is not limited to a given topic. Instead, in keeping with the objectives of the National Association of Interdisciplinary Studies for Native-Americans, blacks, Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, and Asian…

This is a summary of a roundtable on Chinese language teaching which focused on the history and present status of Chinese programs at institutions represented by the discussants. Discussion centered around the following points: (1) types of students taking Chinese; (2) methodology; (3) enrollment; and (4) career opportunities. A paper is also…

This issue presents an overview of research in computer-based language instruction using the PLATO IV computer system. The following articles are presented: (1) "Language Study and the PLATO system," by R. Hart; (2) "Reflections on the Use of Computers in Second-Language Acquisition," by F. Marty; (3) "Computer-Based…