During a merger, an Australian high school was designated as specializing in foreign languages and developed a program consisting of six languages (French, German, Italian, Modern Greek, Latin, and Mandarin Chinese). The program is described, focusing on admission policies, testing procedures, program design and administration, facilities, and…

Reports on two studies designed to prove three hypotheses: (1) five-year-olds can successfully learn a second language (L2); (2) early L2 learning has a positive effect on the development of children's cognitive and first language linguistic abilities; and (3) early L2 learning assists socio-economically disadvantaged children in overcoming…

Traditional British attitudes toward foreigners, which are now being challenged by current economic realities, and the increasing internationalization of British business, which magnifies the need for employees to communicate effectively with people from other countries and cultures, are discussed. A brief overview is provided that covers recent…

Student papers presented at a sociolinguistics conference include: "La variation phonologique [d'une voyelle] a Hull"; "La force illocutoire des pronoms personnels 'je' et 'tu' en tant qu'insignes des places d'ou parlent les femmes et les hommes"; "L'emploi des modes indicatif et subjonctif dans le francais parle de la…

A one-year course in which five languages were introduced in conjunction with the study of European and Arkansas state history is described. The course was designed to provide eighth grade students with a basis for deciding whether to study a foreign language. The main goal was to provide awareness of foreign language through conversation and the…

This report summarizes the language background information and certain demographic characteristics of language minorities in the United States. The data were derived from the Survey of Languages, a pilot study of the non-English-language background population aged four and older sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics as part of…

John Dewey High School, the first experimental non-graded school in New York City, is described in this article in terms of its educational philosophy and administrative procedures. With modular scheduling, five area resource centers, and innovative student evaluation procedures integrated into the program, the school views the concept of…

A list of materials for use in foreign language instruction in the elementary school groups these materials by language with subgroupings under such headings as: (1) teacher materials; (2) student texts and readers; (3) children's books for native speakers; (4) disc and tape recordings; (5) film materials; and (6) songs, games and charts. The…

A discussion of multilingualism in Switzerland begins with a description of the country's linguistic characteristics. Historical Swiss policy recognizing four official languages, one of which (Romansch) is spoken by very few people, is compared with the current situation in which internal and external migration and multilingualism are common. The…

A yearly cross-section of current work in Edinburgh University's Department of Applied Linguistics is offered with the aim of eliciting reactions and criticism. Papers in this compilation are: "Discursive Aspects of Metafiction: A Neo-Oral Aura?"; "The Reaction of Learners to Tape-Based Listening Comprehension Materials in French,…

The survey of foreign language testing described in this paper resulted in the issuing of three handbooks and a special validation report, encompassing the results of research, consultation with professional committees, and significant position statements in four major areas of foreign language testing: placement of incoming students in foreign…

This study, the tenth in a series, presents college language registration and student contact hour data for all modern and classical language programs in the United States. The body of the report consists of 24 tables summarizing the data, and a directory of the 2,353 institutions that reported registrations in one or more foreign languages.…

This report is based on a questionnaire survey sent to the registrars of all two-year and four-year colleges and universities in the United States. Replies were received from 2,494 institutions, of which 2,313 reported registrations in one or more foreign languages. The fall 1974 survey shows a decline of 6.2% in total foreign language…

Explains Beloit College's 10-day program, designed to interest entering freshman in study of foreign languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish) and cultures. The program was successful in teaching the basics of the foreign languages and in eliminating anxiety about the study of those…

This conference proceedings presents abstracts, complete papers, and author biographies for the 1993 Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO) annual symposium on assessment in computer-assisted language learning (CALL); specifically a self-examination of the computer in language instruction, including a special presentation on…