Responding to a need expressed by a number of active foreign language teaching professionals, the Modern Language Association of America (MLA) began in 1972 to explore the possibility of a new national foreign language program. A steering committee was appointed by the MLA Executive Council to draft an outline of such a program. The present work…

This publication is a guide to the use of television in language instruction, in particular for Grade 7 French instruction in Ontario. Basic methodology is reviewed, followed by a description of how television instruction can be individualized through the use of a video-recorder. Student television productions are also discussed. A sample…

Positive values inherent in well-planned tests used in language programs are discussed in this article. The author argues that the problems of dropout rate, underachievement, discipline, and negative student attitudes can be alleviated through testing programs which include: (1) an aptitude test for selecting and sectioning students and for…

This report gives a general description of programs at Florida State, New York University, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers, Stanford, SUNY (Buffalo), Minnesota, Texas (Austin), Washington, and Wayne State. The survey encompasses various types of programs, including those offering M.A., M.A.T., M.Ed., Ed.D., Ph.D., and D.A. (Doctor of Arts) degrees.…

U.S. Office of Education programs in foreign language, area studies, and world affairs are furthered through the National Defense Foreign Language Fellowship (NDFL) program described in this booklet. The 1971-72 program and awards are discussed in terms of: (1) fiscal constraints, (2) program administration, (3) graduate fellowships, (4) languages…

An experiment which measures the foreignness of selected languages with reference to each other, to native languages of listeners, and to listeners' language experience is described. The procedure involves the tape recordings of 50 sentences in the native languages of 10 selected speakers. The second major stage involves playback to listener…

These transcriptions of conversation illustrate linguistic behavior and interests of the average ten-year-old French child. Patterned after a previously transcribed series of conversations of nine-year olds, the 14 dialogues in this collection serve as a linguistic corpus suitable for educational research and textbook development. A graphic code…

The notion of language training for volunteer services, as contrasted with conventional language instruction in the classroom, is explored in this statement of educational philosophy, goals, and guidelines. The major sections focus on: (1) scope of teacher training programs, (2) curriculum of the language teachers' training workshop, (3) major…

This report on foreign language textbooks used in junior and senior high schools in California during the 1968-69 school year tabulates data by classification of students and schools. A complete breakdown of all textbook titles for classes in Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese, and Portuguese is provided. Only the major textbooks used in French, German,…

Foreign language teaching is held up and mirrored against current social realities and the "contemporary scene" and found to be lacking in both content and appeal. To combat certain negative trends in the teaching profession, the author discusses five characteristics of education now considered to be vital to successful teaching. They include the…

This analysis of several principles of translation considers relationships between content and meaning, distinctive features and linguistic form, and language and speech. The dichotomies of individual and community speech patterns, situationally determined and independent language usage, and denotative and expressive usage are also examined. The…

Implications of the behaviorist and cognitive theories in language instruction are discussed in this article. Some contributions of Skinner, Politzer, Valette, Morton, Lane, and Mueller and Niedzielski clarify the behaviorists' view of language as a myriad of conditioned responses. In turn, the cognitive viewpoint, seen as the acquisiton and…

Suggestions on how to improve apperception, motivation, and the presentation of materials in the teaching of Italian tenses, vocabulary, and famous names focus on the use of literary devices largely derived from folklore. For teaching tenses, the author illustrates the use of riddles, "passerotti", "filastrocche", songs, tongue-twisters, rebuses,…

This teacher's guide to the German promotional film "Europe Today", suitable for use in advanced courses, concentrates on linguistic preparation required for full appreciation. The film focuses on the role of European countries as participating members of the Common Market. The manual includes information on the German film industry, a…

Designed for those involved in teacher education, the writing of instructional materials, educational administration, research, and library accessioning, this 712-item bibliography with abstracts acts as a current guide to authoritative and useful books concerned with foreign language teaching theory and practice. Although most of the books cited…