The Foreign Language Understanding Engendered by Naturalistic Techniques (Fluent) project is an educational system for beginning foreign language learning. Arguments are made in support of Fluent's scientific and practical potential for a situation-based, two-medium conversational environment that refers to pedagogical and second-language…

Presents an analysis of errors in a 400-page corpus of German essays by American college students in second-year language courses showing that syntax is the most problematic area, followed by morphology. This study indicates that 80% of student errors are not of semantic origin and are potentially recognizable by a syntactic parser. (six…

Discusses a conference centering around the added value of technologies in language learning. Topics include the necessity of networks, added value analysis for "a priori" specification and "a posteriori" assessment, funding, textbooks, user expectation, assessment methods, integration into other learning systems, and an action plan. (CK)

Focuses on how second-language children are portrayed in reading and language arts methods textbooks and in practice-oriented reading and language arts journals. Suggests that, although teachers probably have had some contact with issues in second-language reading, professional writings do not provide a thorough discussion of second-language…

Presents data from a cross-sectional study of the use of cohesion in Italian texts written by second-language adult learners and by native speakers. The study's goal was to compare learners and native speakers in their use of cohesion and to observe the developmental sequences in the use of cohesion. Data interpretation is presented. (64…

Analyzes the academic records of 191 nonnative students who took a writing examination in 1991 to assess their performance on the writing examination of Georgia State University. Results indicate that questions remain about the relationship between English proficiency and academic preparation and about responsibilities for academically weak…

This paper cites observational and interview evidence indicating that language immersion students in the United States and Canada increasingly avoid using their second language in peer interactions as they move into higher primary grade levels. Implications for immersion programs and teachers are discussed. (32 references) (MDM)

This paper presents a French-as-a-Second-Language writing course for non-Francophone students at an advanced university level. Because this approach to teaching writing focuses on the writer (and on the reader's expectations), as well as on textuality, the organization (i.e., the architecture) of this course is as complex as writing. (32…

This comparison of 15 successful and 15 unsuccessful college foreign-language learners found significant intergroup differences in performance on the Modern Language Aptitude Test, tests of written and oral language in the syntactic and phonological domains, and math calculation. Results suggest that students with foreign language learning…

Presents results of a background survey and proficiency test of student teachers at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman. TEFL student teachers lacked confidence in their speaking ability but had a positive attitude toward the use and study of English in their country. (61 references) (LT)

Discusses the importance of conversational implicatures in cross-cultural communication and argues that the use of opened-ended questions to study such implicatures is inherently flawed. It is asserted that multiple-choice tests are better investigational devices, and an ongoing investigation of the cross-cultural interpretation of implicature…

A research project is reported that incorporates foreign language study into a transition program at the University of Tennessee designed to improve academic performance and "demystify" the college experience. The immediate goals of the foreign language component as well as its broader implications for minority student achievement are…

Four activities for the French language classroom are described, including exploration of the relationships between the perfect, imperfect, and pluperfect tenses; an introductory French geography activity; vocabulary development through creation of new words; and exercises to enhance comprehension of the titles and subtitles of newspaper articles.…

Step-by-step instructions for bringing the French minitel telecommunications system into the language classroom as part of a larger telecommunications center project are outlined. Information sources for such a project, budget, timeline, a classroom lesson sample integrating French and science, and a list of useful addresses are provided. (MSE)

Discusses research to determine whether the methodology used in English-as-a-Second-Language classes affected scores on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills. Test results of students in a Los Angeles school district exposed to a comprehension-based approach were compared to those exposed to a grammar-based approach. (21 references) (CFM)