Discusses the science of pronunciation teaching and learning, a science that deals with the theory and practice of conditions and possibilities of acquiring the pronunciation of a foreign language. Looks at the causes and forms of pronunciation impairments. (SED)

Course development funded by the Small Grants Program of the Council of Liberal Education at the Center for Educational Development, University of Minnesota. (DD)

This article describes a classroom project using one-to-one desktop videoconferencing to enhance the development of second language (1.2) oral skills. Eighteen university students worked collaboratively with expert speakers to complete task-based activities. The author gathered data from video-recording samples, reflections, and oral interviews to…

"Oral skills" are defined in detail. A survey is given of the kinds of oral skills which should be taught in foreign language courses, with some discussion of appropriate methods. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

In foreign language classes, intonation is taught using as a basis for comparison the intonation of the standard dialect of the native language. It is argued here that the learner's native dialect should be used instead. Examples are given of transfer from Swabian dialect to English. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Recommends that beginning students of French who have particular difficulty with pronunciation be given an extra hour in which they can help each other, using a correction sheet, and also receive help from the teacher. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

The Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) field continues to experience increased valuing of experiential practitioner knowledge. A welcome result of this evolution has been the broadening of research perspectives. The 16 practitioner narratives in "Insights on Teaching Speaking in TESOL" are written by…

Hill feels that very soon after the introduction of the spoken word, the written word should be learned, using the same pictures, etc. Exercises should be contextualized and contrastive. On monolingual teaching, Hill takes a pragmatic position. A controlled state, with situational drills, should precede free conversation. Reading techniques are…

In order to master English pronunciation, a student must be able both to articulate a sound and to determine when to use the sound. A program to teach this skill combines conventional orthography and insights of generative phonology in the notion "vowel quality pattern." (CHK)

This paper explains a language teaching method derived from the questioning of students regarding the contents of a foreign language text; student responses are made in the target language. (CK)

The influence of educational background upon the variety of English as a second language speech was examined. Adults in a rural New Mexico community were interviewed in order to elicit data on phonological variation. Data were collected through free speech, controlled speech which required the informants to translate Spanish questions to English,…

Urges the use of the "Total Physical Response Approach" for the teaching of English to Japanese students, simultaneously reinforcing listening and speaking skills. (LG)

This article presents a model of a proficiency test for objectively evaluating the French pronunciation of advanced English-speaking students. A survey of different techniques is made. The specific techniques described allows for testing of phonemic, phonetic and prosodic competency. A sample correction grid is included. (CLK)

This module provides a theoretical framework and practical suggestions for developing oral second-language skills. Learning activities are designed to achieve the following objectives: (a) develop and evaluate oral drills, (b) identify characteristics of good pattern drills, (c) discriminate between "meaningless" and "meaningful" drills, and (d)…