In investigating the use of authentic texts, this study asked college students of the German language to rate 53 situations (composed of 12 authenticity factors) on level of authenticity, contribution to language learning, ease/difficulty, and resulting anxiety/enjoyment. Learners enjoyed interacting with authentic materials but were appreciative…

Discusses the relationship between communicative function and grammar, and the relationship between initiation and discourse. Using a systemic functional framework, a model is set up with with three planes (semiotic, discourse, and language/paralanguage) and two linguistic levels (grammar and phonology) to demonstrate how situation, communicative…

Examination of the oral errors produced by advanced learners of English as a Second Language found that, in spite of many years of classroom instruction and ongoing exposure, errors were still frequent and found to be highly concentrated in specific categories such as lexis and preposition choice. (10 references) (CB)

To study the adequacy of the brief oral examination format as a basis for assessing oral skills, the study compared samples of 15-minute oral exams with 3-hour written exam results by the same students. The resultant average size of oral samples was about 77% of that of written samples, with good comparability, leading to useful conclusions about…

A longitudinal study of four West German university students during their six-month stay at a university in Great Britain found that their oral English-as-a-Second-Language performance improved under initial exposure to the English-speaking community, with the motor for linguistic performance appearing to be learner experimentation in production.…

An analysis of Brazilian learners' errors in English word stress revealed a difficulty hierarchy of stress pattern rules and six stress prediction strategies: (1) cognate stress patterns; (2) predominant stress patterns of English; (3) initial vowels and consonants; (4) verbs with a tense vowel in the final syllable; (5) tertiary stress; and (6)…

Describes the different effects for four types of activities on students' pronunciation of targeted second-language (L2) vocabulary used in oral presentations. Samples of pronunciation were elicited at three points. The observed effects over time are presented graphically, and the complex learning processes underlying these effects are discussed.…

An analysis of the English word stress placement of six native Arabic speakers and six native English speakers studying Arabic revealed that, while most of the native English subjects produced the expected word stress, the Arab subjects placed stress on English words in conformity with Arabic stress patterns. (CB)

This paper examines the effect of formality in three different situations on the oral production of French interlanguage. An analysis of 39 Dutch-speaking students revealed that, contrary to predictions, the more formal situation does not lead to higher accuracy rates. (23 references) (Author)

Discusses the importance of the cultural component in the language learning process for providing a sound communication base. Examples are presented that reflect differences in speech patterns, such as politeness, of native speakers of British and Moroccan Arabic, with emphasis on culturally specific language patterns. (25 references)(OD)

Addresses the issue of collocations as an important and neglected variable in English-as-a-Foreign-Language classes. Two questionnaires, in English and Arabic, involving common collocations relating to food, color, and weather were administered to English majors and English language teachers. Results show both groups deficient in collocations. (36…

A study examined oral corrective discourse in English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) classes at a Turkish university, with data gathered through classroom observation of teacher-student interaction, teacher interviews, and a student survey concerning preferences for amount and type of corrective feedback. Results indicate a small degree of parity…