This booklet describes the test used by the federal government to determine oral proficiency in a foreign language. The test is essentially an oral interview, conducted by two testers, and lasting from 15 to 30 minutes, although the format can vary. Proficiency levels range from 0 (for no practical speaking proficiency) to 5 (for speaking…

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 paper discusses the English verbal inflectional system within the lexicalist framework. A lexicalist approach to syntax is one in which all syntactic grammatical relations, lexical items, and the result of transformations are subject to semantic interpretation. That is, semantic information cannot be generated by syntactic rules. A filtering…

This bibliography on foreign language instruction and career preparation is divided into four parts. Part I presents general materials on the intersection of foreign language instruction and career preparation. Materials in Part II provide specific examples of programs or courses that are designed to address the issue of preparation of students of…

This annotated bibliography on the teaching of modern foreign languages is the product of a West German information dissemination system that is similar to ERIC. The bibliography is published quarterly and lists items compiled in conjunction with ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics as well as with a number of institutions all over the…

EFL (English as a foreign language) and ESL (English as a second language) are taught in various types of learning environments. In considering types of learning success, the learning environment must be kept in mind. The typical immigrant (a second language learner) has to cope with "difficult" English almost immediately, and is judged…

When Loyola University dropped its foreign language requirement in 1971, another requirement took its place. Students are now required to take three courses in literature, one of which is to be a course in a literature not originally written in English. Introductory courses (called Masterpieces courses) in French, German, Spanish, and Russian…

This paper discusses the factors that either facilitate or inhibit vocabulary learning and suggests practical classroom techniques for beginning and more advanced students. Vocabulary acquisition is related to the learning situation and to the form, meaning, and grammatical role of the new item in the target language. The focus of the teaching…

Physical Verbalization (PV) is a program designed to encourage language/speech development by combining movement with appropriate verbal patterns. Using the normal developmental stages of listening/watching, imitating, and initiating, the program allows the child to "play" with standard English in a nonthreatening and rhythmic fashion and to be…

This study was undertaken to support the approach of teaching natural language and to illustrate what linguistic research can say to foreign language textbook developers and classroom teachers. The reality of oral conversational Spanish, as illustrated by research in language acquisition, sociolinguistics, and historical linguistics, is one in…

The information and activities in this guide are offered to teachers who want to assist junior high school students in developing test taking skills. The introductory sections discuss test wisdom, give advice to teachers about testing, provide tips to students on test taking skills, offer practice sheets on completing test forms, and define…

This is a report on foreign language enrollment in qrades 9-12 in Indiana for the year 1978-1979. The tables qive the following information: (1) a ten year review of foreign language enrollments in Indiana, grades 9-12; (2) the total enrollments for the years 1976-1979 in all foreign languages; (3) the enrollment patterns by levels for the same…

The effect of language variation on language teaching is considered. It is suggested there has been a shift away from the notion that a language can be perceived by learners as a fixed system to an emphasis on its negotiability in a social context. This is not precisely the shift from grammatical concerns to functional ones, for it arises out of…

While the goal of language teaching has been the development of practical communication, most language tests have stressed mastery of discrete linguistic skills. Oral language performance-based testing requires test-takers to use and perform in the language in actual communicative situations. The variations in communication created by the…

This compilation contains the following research reports on child language: (1) "Nouns: Love 'Em or Leave 'Em" by Dianne Horgan; (2) "Logic in Early Child Language" by Roy D. Pea; and (3) "Theories of the Child's Acquisition of Syntax: A Look at Rare Events and at Necessary, Catalytic, and Irrelevant Components of…