The early stages of second language learning in everyday communication, without formal instruction, are examined. It is proposed that in such a situation, the learner draws on: (1) second language input; (2) innate human capacity for learning languages; and (3) native language knowledge. The linguist's typical approach to investigating language…

This monograph focuses on the use of dialogue journal writing for developing the literacy skills of adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students. A rationale is presented for making open and continuing dialogue a central part of any work with adults, and various approaches are suggested for promoting this dialogue with students, tutors, and…

A 5-year followup study was conducted of Spanish/English bilingual children and their families who had participated in a previous study of early bilingual acquisition when the children were 3 to 4 years old. Language use and interaction patterns by parents, children, and siblings were observed at home. School achievement information and interview…

The level of mastery of selected language forms among English as a second language students in Botswana was investigated. Eighty-four pupils in the third to the sixth year of formal education provided oral English samples in unstructured formats involving language experience stories. The oral language of the pupils was analyzed to establish the…

Designed for intermediate to advanced students learning French, this unit provides practice in reading comprehension while presenting basic facts about Paris. The student material is written in French; the teacher material is written in English. Nine student sections offer facts about Paris including: history; geography; museums, monuments,…

Based on the assumptions that a universal grammar has a number of functional parameters and that in each language, some are not activated, a study was undertaken to investigate two hypotheses. They are (1) that in a grammatical situation where an adult's first language parameter is not activated in the second language, the learner will "lose" the…

The limited existing research on text structure and its effects on reading comprehension in English as a native language and English as a second language (ESL) is reviewed, and studies that have shown facilitating effects on first language reading comprehension of explicitly teaching text structure are discussed. A research project in progress…

Three issues were examined in a study of children's use of first language knowledge in acquiring a second language: (1) understanding of narratives, (2) the degree to which knowledge available in the child's first language is used in understanding second language input, and (3) the relationship between knowledge utilization in two languages as…

This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using the mother tongue in foreign language instruction, specifically in the explanation phase, in exercises and drills, in testing, and in the presentation of new grammar. (CLK)

This article discusses the place of the language teaching specialist in a college language program and outlines the duties of such a person. The qualifications required of a language teaching specialist are also described. (CLK)

A program at one elementary school served foreign students' needs by teaching language arts, as well as tutoring in other subjects, in their native language. Native English speakers studied a second language, and varying cultural backgrounds of teachers and students were emphasized and studied. (CHK)

Interference between languages such as Spanish and English has a number of aspects, and one of the factors may be socioeconomic. (RB)

This article compares first and second language acquisition and applies conclusions pertaining to first language acquisition to second language learning, specifically that a command of grammar is essential and this grammar is independent of that associated with the written language. (CLK)

In continuation courses for teachers, discussion of a picture course was found valuable, providing: nearness to actual teaching practice, expansion and solidifying of a topical vocabulary, possibility of guiding conversation, a favorable climate for conversation, and little financial (and technological) outlay. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Peer-mediation, an approach whereby students take the responsibility for learning from and teaching one another, is presented as an innovation in ESL classes. A rationale for this approach is presented based on actual classroom situations in which small-group, peer-mediated instruction is utilized. (Author/RM)