Second language pragmatics are not easily acquired by second language learners for a variety of reasons including negative first language transfer, insufficient grammatical competence, and inadequate instruction. For adult learners living in the second language environment, adequate pragmatic knowledge is essential even for beginning level…

In the comprehension approach to second language instruction, the major procedure is to provide students with comprehensible input, which it is the students' responsibility to understand. The aim is to encourage nucleation of the target language, that is the crystallization of the rule system. Teaching procedures focus on strategies for implicit…

One university professor's use of French comic strips as the focus of an advanced, intensive language course is described. The approach addresses the visual and iconic in the comics as much as the linguistic element. (27 references) (MSE)

A study of the role of audiotape dialogue journals (ADJ) in the second-language classroom examined patterns in form and nature of the conversations and in relationships between participants. Results are reported for two teachers and two students, one Japanese and one Latin American. Structuring such taped conversations is recommended. (MSE)

The manual for English pronunciation instruction is designed for use in intensive language courses for Southeast Asians learning English as a Second Language. An introductory section suggests classroom presentation and lesson planning techniques and gives background information on English phonology and pronunciation instruction. A variety of…

Situational leadership can be used in the English-as-a-Second-Language classroom to help students accept and adapt to instructional innovation. Leadership style is determined by the leader's task (directive) and relationship (supportive) behavior and by the classroom environment. Follower readiness is both job-related and psychological. Case…

This paper describes how comic books are used as instructional materials in an intensive English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) course and discusses the rationale for using them. The students in the course have low-intermediate English language skills with limited discourse and interactive competence. Comic books are used because they are authentic,…

A guide to the program in English as a second language (ESL) in the Federal Way, Washington, School District at the elementary, intermediate, and senior high school levels outlines program elements and requirements and suggests techniques and approaches for teachers of ESL. The progressive levels of language proficiency as indicated by the…

A set of instructional materials for introductory Tunisian Arabic is designed for a 12-week Peace Corps volunteer language course. It provides instructional notes for the teacher and a series of lessons on aspects of grammar, phonology, and morphology. Much of the text is descriptive. Lessons include grammar and phonology notes, exercises, and…

An intensive college-level French language course, based on the principles of immersion and designed to aid students in the transition between intermediate and advanced proficiency levels, is described. Focus is on three course aspects: teacher contacts; meetings with native-speaking students; and use of audiovisual aids. (21 references) (MSE)

Teachers of academic English cannot teach content directly, prepare students for all academic tasks, eradicate error, or teach the full range of academic vocabulary. However, they can teach task and genre awareness, encourage use of all skills and higher-order thinking, require exploitation of resources, and encourage self-evaluation. (11…

Based on a hypothetical situation in which second language learners must attain substantial skills in a very short time, the paper recommends intensive training not in the language itself, but in skills and strategies for learning the language. This requires achieving self-directed learning skills to: create a climate maximizing learning; identify…

Contrastive rhetoric theory, an extension of contrastive grammar, holds that the rhetorical predispositions of a student's native language will interfere with attempts to learn the rhetoric of a second language; and that because speakers of different languages think differently, they organize paragraphs differently, a situation which influences…

The spring-summer and fall-winter 1983 numbers of the journal include these articles: "Body-Mind Integration Through Yoga" (Marie Paulyn); "The Effectiveness of Three Classroom Teaching Methods: Programmed Instruction, Simulation, and Guided Fantasy" (Elizabeth B. Groff, Gary F. Render); "Teaching Relaxation in School: A…

The Strategic Interaction method has been found to be effective in developing oral skills among students in an intensive English language program at the University of Jordan, and holds promise for language instruction in other contexts. The method, which is predominantly communicative in nature, stresses language use and interaction in discourse…