This report states specific steps to follow in order to achieve the primary objectives of the Modern Language Association/American Council of Learned Societies Task Force, to improve the quantity and quality of second-language study in the commonly taught languages in the United States. (CFM)

Discusses the potential extension of awareness-raising techniques to the wider concerns of English as a professional language for teachers. The article reports on the issues raised in a workshop exploring the nature and scope of English as a professional language held at the Dublin Conference for Language Awareness. (22 references) (Author/CK)

Discusses what constitutes adequate language proficiency on the part of the language teacher for the classroom and the problems associated with defining and measuring the language skills of language teachers. Considers these issues in the context of an Italian language proficiency project undertaken at the University of Melbourne, Australia. (39…

In cross-cultural interaction in medical settings, the potential for miscommunication increases when the language proficiency of one of the interactants is low. Sources of communicative success include the ability of both parties to draw contextually triggered inferences providing a basis for making perceptual contributions and using communication…

Best predictors of overall proficiency in a foreign language were examined in two experiments involving 60 high school female students in a private school and 36 10th graders in a coeducational public school. Best predictors were grade at the end of one year of study of the language and foreign language word decoding. (SLD)

Discusses an experiment in testing college students in France on their recall of newly learned English words in order to compare the advantages and disadvantages of context and translation learning as a function of learner proficiency. Results reveal a superiority of translation learning in terms of quantity, but an inability of weaker learners to…

Studies the educational position and language proficiency level of various ethnic groups in the Netherlands. The differences in these is explained by means of several background characteristics, including parents' level of education and social status. (27 references) (Author/CK)

Language awareness, integral to language education in Europe, now influences Canadian second-language programs. The General Language Education (GLE) Syllabus of the "National Core French Study" endeavors to foster language proficiency and tolerance of linguistic and cultural diversity and encourages students to develop their own learning…

Describes the implementation and evaluation of the second year of a three-year pilot project to teach Japanese to students at a Pittsburgh elementary school. Analyses of students' performance indicate that they progressed considerably in developing proficiency in Japanese and that their teachers believed that more could be done to incorporate the…

Discusses a study on bilingualism and factors of ethnic identity in Saare/Tsaragi, a border area in Nigeria where two languages are used regularly. Interviews elicited information on language ability and use, language attitudes, and interethnic relations. Results indicate similar patterns between groups of bilingual ability and attitudes but…

Overviews the numbers and kinds of students taking college-level Japanese courses currently, their motivations and challenges, and some of the ways in which Japanese is different from the more commonly taught languages. Notes that for the first time in United States history the study of a language outside the Indo-European family, i.e., Japanese…

Discusses the role connectionism plays in the development of cognitive theories and in the explanation of linguistic phenomena inherent in second language acquisition (SLA). Presents a critical look at some existing connectionist models of language functions with a focus on the need for a general cognitive model of SLA that integrates research in…

The seven chapters of this theme issue on second-language instruction illustrate the pedagogical shift from measuring language achievement to emphasizing language proficiency. The issue explores empirical and theoretical investigations into second-language acquisition research in both affective and cognitive domains. (SLD)

Describes the development of a language assessment instrument to be used across Canada to place adult newcomers in instructional programs appropriate for their level of English proficiency. Describes field testing and rating of the instrument, and discusses work in progress on the ongoing validation of the instrument. (31 references) (Author/CK)

Addresses the social psychological paradox of learning a language, which in one interethnic situation represents the "ingroup" language, while in another interethnic context, it represents the "outgroup" language, a situation characterizing the language-learning experience of most Puerto Rican return migrants (PRRMs). (25…