This article draws on argument-based validation to gather and evaluate construct-related evidence (i.e., the explanation inference) of a high-stakes test. The data stemmed from the listening component of a French test used for immigration to Canada through the province of Quebec. An expert panel with varied backgrounds in applied linguistics…

Special issue devoted to linguistics in teacher preparation and higher education. (VM)

Special issue devoted to linguistics in teacher preparation and higher education. (VM)

Discusses the relationship between sociolinguistic theory and research, and its application to second language teaching. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

Examines the relationship between linguistic theory and pedagogic practices in the teaching of French at the elementary school level. Discusses two trends emerging from current literature, one denouncing the remoteness of linguistic theory from psychological research findings, the other focusing on the teaching process and its need for theoretical…

Recent knowledge about the system of gender assignment in French is examined to suggest theoretical reasons why English speakers are so rarely successful in mastering the French gender assignment system for inanimate nouns. Morphological, phonetic, and semantic rules shed light on the system. (14 references) (Author/LB)

Discusses the changing nature of linguistics following the advent of sociolinguistics, and explores the implications for language instruction. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

The authors of a new book on the relationship of discourse and French language instruction, bringing different language backgrounds and professional perspectives to the issue of language teaching theory and practice, are interviewed. Discussion focuses on the role of discourse analysis in language teaching. (MSE)

This paper describes a teaching method based on generative transformational grammar that has been successfully used in the ESL (English as a second language) classroom. The method and techniques are based on the Elgin-Rush study in which the problem of teaching basic writing skills to native English speakers was addressed. The present study…

This volume consists of the following papers delivered at the Fifth Linguistic Symposium on Romance Languages: (1) "The Heuristics of Substratum," by Dieter Wanner; (2) "The Auxiliary in Romance," by Frederick B. Agard; (3) "Lusitanian Portuguese," by Wayne J. Redenbarger; (4) "Paradigmatic Evolution of Diphthongs: Marsian Italian and Chicano…

This syntactic study of French emphasizes analysis of the theory underlying the actual description of the language and techniques used in the derivation of the theory. The work, containing four major sections, includes: (1) a guide to base components, (2) symbolic notation, (3) grammar, and (4) transformations. Grammatical rules for "syntagmes,"…

This second volume in a series of French publications of specialized, introductory books on the study of linguistics presents a structured, panoramic view of the study of lexicology dating from the writings of Panini (4 B.C.) through recent linguistic developments. The selected readings, covering five major areas of concern, concentrate on: (1)…

This volume, one in a series on applied linguistics and language instruction, contains five articles dealing with teaching methods and linguistic course content. The articles, particularly germane to the teaching of French, include: (1) "The Relation of Linguistic Analysis to Foreign-Language Teaching," by Simon Belasco; (2) "The French Pronouns…

The nature of conversation as communication is explored in its psychological, linguistic, and didactic aspects with particular reference to the learning of French as a second language. Major emphasis is placed on psychological and linguistic theories. In the didactic section, the problems, value, and methodology of conversation classes are…