A technique for rapid teaching of the Cyrillic alphabet uses a five-phase mnemonic strategy: attending to the materials, developing connections in class, practicing recall, using the information memorized as a basis for acquiring new information, and testing recall over time. The technique is based on current theories of information processing.…

Reviews the history of machine translation (MT) research in China. Describes Chinese MT techniques as based on syntactic analysis, full use of fixed phrases, the key role of funtion words, and emphasis on formal analysis without neglecting meaning. (Available from ALLC, Dr. Rex Last, German Dept., Univ. of Hull, Hull HU57RX, England.) (Author/MES)

Describes experiment at Trinity College in Dublin in teaching Russian to future language teachers with objectives of sensitizing future teachers to problems of language learners and research. (BK)

Summarizes existing research on the use and teaching of learning strategies, and presents six situational case studies of strategy training. A research-based strategy training model is proposed, as well as other instructional ideas for strategy training in the second-language classroom. (116 references) (Author/CB)

The comparison of languages can be an effective instructional technique if used well. The comparison of isolated elements is less effective than the examination of languages at several levels: system, norm, and usage. (MSE)

Analysis of the speech patterns of Adyge school children and their families resettled in a Russian community indicated that: (1) the use of Adyge was a sensitive indicator of nationalistic feelings in the community, and (2) while Russian was displacing Adyge (especially among younger people), traditional Adyge values firmly held their ground.…

Reports on a series of tests made to determine whether a correlation exists between modes of testing and the ability of Russian language students to place stress correctly. Contrary to the hypothesis, it was found that a significant variation did occur in the results obtained both for test type and test modality. (16 references) (MDM)

Tests the subjective reactions of standard Russian speakers and American English speakers to regional pronunciation. Homogeneously-grouped subjects listened to a series of recorded voices and rated each speaker for various attributes on a numerical scale. These attributes included competence, personal integrity, and social attractiveness. (CK)

Traces history of foreign language instruction (predominantly Russian as a result of former Soviet political domination) in the German Democratic Republic prior to unification. Russian instruction, as a tool for ideological control, emphasized receptive skills such as lexis and morphology. Explains changes in content and methods in foreign…

Examines methodological issues related to the approach to be used in writing a textbook for foreign language students of Russian. These issues center around practical communication; the treatment of grammar; and the use of the target language, authentic materials, and audiovisual materials. Results indicate that grammar explanations and complete…

Discusses the Graded Objectives for Adults Learning (GOLF) Russian program. The aim of the GOLF program is to have four levels, with Level Four being considered equivalent to a good GCSE pass, at which stage students will have a good working knowledge of the language and a wide vocabulary. (CK)

Examines whether mnemonic strategies can be successfully applied to the learning of a non-Roman foreign-language alphabet. Students were given materials presenting Russian letters and their English sounds on each page. Beneath each letter was a mnemonic. Findings indicate that these strategies enhance the learning speed of non-Roman…

Although Hungary's 1989 political transformation gave new credibility to existing policies, it did not necessarily translate into an understanding of participatory decision making or enthusiasm for school reform. Beyond the rhetoric are two dramatic curricular alterations: removal of the Marxist ideology infusing each discipline and elimination of…

This study investigated second-language (L2) learning to gain a better understanding of learning mechanisms that also operate in child first-language L1 learners. The research was inspired by research on the beneficial effects of child-directed speech CDS. We tried to examine whether such benefits can be observed in the domain of inflectional…

In this paper we argue that investigation of third language (L3) acquisition by adults and children provides essential new insights about the language learning process that neither the study of first language (L1) nor second language (L2) acquisition alone can provide. The focus of this paper concerns the role the learner's L1 plays in succeeding…