Reports on an investigation into the workplace English needs of textile and clothing merchandisers who communicate in the international marketplace. Through questionnaire surveys, telephone interviews, analysis of authentic correspondence, and visits to the workplace, a detailed understanding has been obtained of the communication demands placed…

Presents and English for specific purposes self-training model as a possible solution to a lack of teacher training in some areas and the dissatisfaction with current training models. A case study applying action research techniques was conducted to illustrate how a general English teacher can develop ESP expertise through reflection on and…

Focuses on the acquisition of sociolinguistic competence by second language learners during a period of study abroad. Various aspects of sociolinguistic competence are discussed and some of the principal factors that affect it are described. (Author/VWL)

Advocates broadening of professional development options for graduate students to take into account the disciplinary expertise and teaching practice needed for courses beyond the beginning and intermediate language sequence. Concludes that readings, workshops, and discussions with faculty allow graduate students to gain experience with the range…

Investigated attitudinal changes of elementary students studying a second language and presents the development of an attitudinal assessment instrument, its reliability, and a summary of findings from initial administrations. Compared attitudinal differences between students involved in a regular foreign language in the elementary schools (FLES)…

Describes the development and implementation of a pilot technology-driven intermediate Spanish course at Pennsylvania State University. Looks at the use of four technologies--synchronous chat, Web and multimedia training, computer-based grammar practice, and asynchronous (E-mail) conferencing--in this foreign language course. Summarizes some…

Examines the effect of the use of French as a second language on the performance of subjects in receptive skills (listening and reading comprehension) and productive skills (speaking and writing). Results establish a link between the use of the language after learning has occurred and the difference between pre- and post-test measures. (Author/VWL)

Examines structural consequences of intensive language contact on simultaneous first language (L1) and second language (L2) child language development in an L2-dominant environment. Based on the assumption that structural processes in language contact are operating at and determined by abstract lexical structure, various structural configurations…

Provides activities adaptable for a range of learning contexts. The activities focus on Gardner's multiple intelligences, first aid, conversational language skills, mastering ordinal numbers, and detail in writing. (Author/VWL)

Examined whether readers in a third-semester Spanish course--reading the second language on a computer screen--accessed glossed vocabulary more frequently when the glosses were written in their first language or their second language. (Author/VWL)

Reviews recent second-language acquisition studies that have methodologically assumed a direct relationship between the acquisition of inflectional morphology and the development of functional phrase structure in the syntax. Results from naturalistic production data collected over eight years apart are reported, establishing the…

An issue currently being debated in second-language acquisition research is whether negative evidence (i.e., information to the learner that his or her utterance is ungrammatical) plays a positive role in the acquisition of the second language. Article reports the results of a small scale study that investigated the effects of formal instruction…

A review of research on second language (L2) speech looks at four issues of process and product: whether speech is different from writing; whether oral discourse patterns differ from one language to another; whether L2 speaker oral skills differ significantly from native speakers'; and how L2 speech develops. (MSE)

Examined the roles of learning method, word frequency, and cognate status in the learning of 80 Italian words by 56 adult Dutch learners previously unfamiliar with Italian. Two learning methods were contrasted: word learning, where the Italian word was presented with its translation in Dutch, and picture learning, where it was presented with a…

A study analyzed development of French aspectual markers in 39 college students of French as a second language and 30 native French-speaking students. Results indicate classroom instruction may increase the rate at which learners develop this knowledge, and that lack of access to second-language discursive-pragmatic conditions may prevent learning…