Presents suggestions for more accurately and effectively assessing students' oral foreign language skills, covering classroom atmosphere, testing frequency, and audiotaping student responses. A sample score sheet and evaluation criteria are provided. (CB)

A multilanguage project for development of a foreign-language curriculum is reported along with the teaching method that has evolved from it. The method is represented primarily in a set of "mini-courses," each being a short introduction to a given language. (Contains 34 references.) (Author/LB)

The inability to focus on the rhythmic pattern as a whole is one of the main deficiencies in the teaching of English rhythm, and it is partly responsible for syllabic rhythm in the speech of learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). A technique is proposed that isolates the segmental phones and sequences so that EFL learners recognize them.…

Entering an "English Impromptu Speech Contest" intimidates many students who do not have a good command of the English language. Some choose to give up before the contest date while others stand speechless on the stage. This paper identifies a range of problems confronted by contestants from my college, the Yuanpei Institute of Science…

The increasing availability and performance of computer-based testing has prompted more research on the automatic assessment of language and speaking proficiency. In this investigation, we evaluated the feasibility of using an off-the-shelf speech-recognition system for scoring speaking prompts from the LanguEdge field test of 2002. We first…

This article discusses the advantages of experience in volunteer work camps for second language learning, and describes one such work-study experience in France. (CLK)

Criticizes current theory in the GDR, which sees three stages in FL learning: acquisition, solidifying, automatizing. Steps 1 and 3 need modifying. This is shown in the threefold division of a class hour ("Development of oral practice through variation of a dialog"). (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

Eight different activities are suggested for the foreign language conversation class in order to vary the textbook emphasis. Among the suggested situations are a "last people on earth" session, sensitivity sessions, descriptions of paintings or photos, an improvised drama, and a mock trial. (CHK)

The article presents an audio-visual teaching method for advanced students of Italian, in which major emphasis is placed on phonostylistic and semiotic factors: intonation and stress, rhythm, and gestures. A sample exercise is included. (CLK)

This article reports on language instruction methods used for teaching Chinese to foreign students in the People's Republic of China. The methods place great emphasis on the practice of the language, on lessening the gap between theory and practice, and on the social aspect of language learning. (CLK)

This summary of the literature on the relationships between oral and written language points out that (1) there is a similarity between first language acquisition and second language learning, and (2) children acquiring English as their first language and English-speaking adults learning a foreign language exhibit similar syntactic maturity. Also…

The similarity between the antecedents of listening and the consequences of speaking have long led theorists to believe in their intimate and even natural relationship. A tendency to conflate the two processes is found in articles on speech communication, automatic speech recognition, foreign language learning, and child language. Once this…

This paper describes the rationale and strategies of a language teaching approach found to have been extremely effective with both adult and child learners. This approach does not require the language learner to speak until he feels comfortable doing so. Both past and current applications of a delayed oral practice approach to language learning…

This is the first phonetics book to be developed for use in first-year French courses. The intent of the book is to help the student acquire confidence in his ability to look at 85 percent of the words in the French dictionary and be able to pronounce those words correctly, as a result of his sounding out the words. When an American student looks…

This paper reports on an experiment carried out by the Chinese language program at Oberlin College to use play production as a means of teaching spoken Chinese. The experiment was inspired by the fact that teaching spoken Chinese cannot be solved by traditional classroom methods, particularly at the intermediate level. The lack of texts, the…