The oral interview may be viewed as a criterion-referenced test for making either/or decisions about functional use of spoken language. Speech production can be tested by either the oral interview or the Valdis (1972) "Performance Objectives for Speaking," and dialogue between the two systems can be profitable. Current literature on…

Performance objectives for the foreign language curriculum in Michigan schools are presented in draft form. Objectives are outlined for stages A (beginning) through D (advanced). The remainder of the volume deals with stage A. It provides a detailed description of the minimum behavioral objectives for basic language skills at the end of the…

This report presents six articles related to the general conference theme. The topics studied include: (1) aims and purposes in modern language teaching, (2) examinations and tests as controls in language learning, (3) specifying the linguistic and behavioral content of language skills, (4) the contribution of particular techniques to specific…

Because speech sound discrimination tests can be contaminated by a particular kind of "response set," i.e., the tendency not to respond to the final parts of words as effective stimuli, children can be mistakenly diagnosed as having very poor speech-sound discrimination. About 20 percent of urban lower-class children have this response…

Three papers, based on a study done with 160 Wisconsin fourth- and sixth-graders, are presented in an attempt to contribute to the psycholinguistic information needed in developing elementary English language learning programs. The first paper, "A Linguistic Ability Test for Elementary Grades," discusses a written test made up of 15 linguistic…

In an epilogue to the 1967 research report, "Transformational Sentence-Combining" (See ED 018 405.), John Mellon considers the significance of the sentence-combining experience and answers the charges of critics--Wayne O'Neil, James Moffett, and Francis Christensen--regarding his original research findings. Mellon points out, for example, that…

There is a difference between learning a second language and learning a second dialect; the English as a second language (ESL) program should be limited to teaching English to students who do not already know English. Although there are not enough ESL programs, there is also a problem that some students are receiving ESL instruction even though…

This experiment deals with a test of auditory discrimination between standard Black English and nonstandard Black English. The test consists of two sections, one emphasizing phonological variables and the other emphasizing grammatical variables. It was administered to 83 black and 71 white children who were second, fourth, and sixth graders in…

Explains the relationship between understanding a temporal or causal event and the ability to articulate and comprehend sentences about the event. The subjects of the research were 60 children from an Italian elementary school, 20 each from the first, third, and fifth grades. (CFM)

Describes some of the mismatches that can occur between child knowledge and the controlled "primerese" language of texts. Finds ways in which children bring their linguistic knowledge to bear on the reading process. Indicates that the controls and distinctive features of primerese text are counterproductive. (MG)

Presents the results of a study of Francophone pupils in the French schools of Windsor, Ontario. The article gives examples of nonstandard features pervading students' French vocabulary and syntax and concludes that a hybrid vernacular may be emerging as a result of the Canadian sociolinguistic situation, creating a challenge to the teaching of…

The role of the language laboratory in current language teaching and learning is discussed. Four main aspects of audio technology and its relationship to language learning are covered: (1) the technological aspect: what a language lab is and what kinds of labs are available in Ireland; (2) the research aspect: what kind of research is being…

This monograph represents the results of an attempt to construct at least one portion of a theoretical framework for describing and analyzing the performance routines used by the native actor to realize his competence to make culturally appropriate decisions. In general the concern is to describe in theoretical terms the structure and operation of…

The data in this study are taken from an on-going research project investigating the development of the production of intervocalic consonants in Mexican Spanish. The total project includes both longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of forty children and uses both naturalistic observation and experimental methods. The data discussed here is from…

The chapters in this volume represent a type of current psycholinguistic research that focuses both on the nature of human information processing and the coding of linguistic structure. The chapters and authors are as follows: (1) "The Wherefores and Therefores of the Competence-Performance Distinction," by V. Valian; (2) "Levels of Processing and…