The development of an empirically based model of communicative competence is discussed in terms of conceptual, statistical, and methodological considerations. A distinction is made between descriptive and working models of communicative competence. Working models attempt to show how components of communicative competence are interrelated…

To afford elementary school children in Louisiana the opportunity of attaining proficiency in French, the state legislature established in 1975 a state-wide French as a Second Language (FSL) Program. Learning goals were established for each grade, based on the use of specified instructional materials. The administrative structure of the program…

The possible effects of applying new assessment techniques to second language learning is dramatized by two contrasting scenarios. The first describes a high school Spanish class as we might find it today: the teaching is effective, but the best results are not being obtained. The second scenario is set in the year 1990. Here, applications of…

The process of identifying and meeting U.S. national security needs, as well as the needs of international business and trade in the area of foreign languages and international studies, is complex. Three studies of the problem are discussed here: (1) a study by the General Accounting Office of foreign affairs agencies' capacity to obtain needed…

This paper answers a series of questions concerning the Bilingual Syntax Measure (BSM): what it is, who it is designed for, what it consists of, how long it takes to administer the test, who should administer it, where the BSM should be given, how to conduct the assessment, and how to score the test. The paper concludes that, overall, the BSM can…

THE PROBLEM OF THE NATURE OF LANGUAGE STRUCTURE IS CONSIDERED AND THE FORM WHICH ANY LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION SHOULD TAKE. THE AUTHOR EXAMINES THE INFLUENCE OF THE SWISS LINGUIST, FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE, ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF AMERICAN LINGUISTICS. THE QUESTION OF "MENTALISM" IN LINGUISTICS IS REDUCED TO THE PROBLEM OF WHETHER LINGUISTIC…

The traditional approach in teaching the Japanese copula is shown to be linguistically and pedagogically defective. An alternative analysis of -da and -desu and a practical method of presenting them is demonstrated. (HP)

A foreign language teacher relates how instruction, testing, and student achievement have changed with the use of GCSE instead of the traditional CSE/GCE in French instruction. (CB)

Explores the "language/learning connection" as it relates to certain basic elements of the learning process and the development of language proficiency. Provides a new conceptual framework that links language proficiency, language acquisition, and learning. Analyzes the implication of this construct for learning through use of one's primary…

Discusses the origins and uses of proficiency-based systems in government and education, an initial application of proficiency-based foreign language oral skills assessment in one corporate setting, and the wide range of potential applications of proficiency-based systems for business, industry, and the professions in general. (SED)

An investigation examined third- and sixth-grade students' proficiency in comprehending anaphoric relations in stories and whether grade level affected comprehension of anaphora. Both grade levels were somewhat proficient and sixth-grade students achieved significantly higher comprehension than did third-graders. (Author/MT)

Discusses the historical and present situation in second language testing in the United States, with respect to the major measurement trends represented. Suggests a number of desirable development activities for the future that may help to build on several current initiatives in the field that already show substantial promise for facilitating…

This paper discusses research on bilingualism, describing how language development proceeds under exceptional circumstances (for example, when processing must be shifted to another modality, and in abnormal development of one kind or another). It examines exceptional bilingualism, focusing on research on deafness (e.g., hearing children of deaf…

Supports the contention that every teacher is a teacher of English because every teacher is a teacher in English.'' (Author/RB)