This study was undertaken to support the approach of teaching natural language and to illustrate what linguistic research can say to foreign language textbook developers and classroom teachers. The reality of oral conversational Spanish, as illustrated by research in language acquisition, sociolinguistics, and historical linguistics, is one in…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 20 titles deal with the following topics: the role of crib talk in language acquisition; syntactic parsing strategies; a case study of the first use of words; how two modes of literature presentation affect oral language…

This book is presented for teachers who do not use a reading course and who wish to produce their own material as well as for individuals developing materials for tailor-made courses. Various types of reading comprehension exercises are described and classified. The exercise-types suggested can be adapted for all reading levels. The book begins…

While the goal of language teaching has been the development of practical communication, most language tests have stressed mastery of discrete linguistic skills. Oral language performance-based testing requires test-takers to use and perform in the language in actual communicative situations. The variations in communication created by the…

This is the first of two volumes devoted to dialogs designed for classroom use by adult students of English as a second language. Survival skills are emphasized. The dialogs are grouped under the following titles: (1) "Time," (2) "Getting to Know You," (3) "Eating Out," (4) "Opening a Savings Account," (5)…

This is the second of two volumes devoted to dialogs designed for classroom use by students of English as a second language. Survival skills are emphasized. The dialogs are grouped under the following titles: (1) "Buying Furniture," (2) "Straightening Metal Surfaces," (3) "Opening a Checking Account," (4) "Going…

This paper reviews studies on classroom talk and on mother-child interaction; it compares the latter with classroom talk and speculates on what language in the classroom could be. The discussion of language in the classroom revolves around: (1) the speech situation, that is, a situation organized in terms of some nonverbal activity; (2) the speech…

ALTHOUGH ADMINISTRATIVE DIFFICULTIES COMPELLED A 2-PHASED PROJECT, BEGUN AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY IN THE 1966-67 ACADEMIC YEAR, TO BE TERMINATED BEFORE ANY CONCLUSIVE DATA HAD BEEN GATHERED, SOME OF THE OBSERVATIONS MADE DURING THE INITIAL STAGE OF THE EXPERIMENT MIGHT PROVOKE NEEDED FURTHER INVESTIGATION. THE PILOT RUN, DESIGNED TO DEVELOP MATERIALS…

A study was conducted to test a method of instruction designed to incorporate communication and reasoning skills into the regular content of liberal arts courses. Eleven instructors teaching in nine liberal arts disciplines were trained in the areas of reading and study skills, writing, speaking and listening, and reasoning. Instructors were…

Written for use with junior high school students, this handbook links natural ecological issues with language arts instruction. It contains a series of lesson plans, each offering a number of suggested learning activities for use both in and out of class. The lessons are built around 12 major environmental concepts that form a framework for each…

Child care programs are ideal places to begin the mastery of both English and a native language. Language growth can be promoted through the use of pretend play. Pretend situations include storytelling, oral drills and poems, riddles and songs. In storytelling activities, it is essential that the adult model language for the children. The children…

A list of 87 French expressions that are commonly used in discussion and argumentation is presented. The list was compiled from over 200 documents consisting of transcriptions of radio or television programs and transcriptions of discussions or interviews published in newspapers or periodicals. The material utilized was in the form of dialogues…

The language teaching method presented here is an inter-related set of techniques for teaching target comprehension skills directly to students on both university and high school levels. Three elements of the method are discussed: (1) the basics of a comprehension-based classroom; (2) the expanded speaking component; and (3) the expanded reading…

A SERIES OF SEVEN EXPERIMENTS TESTED THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING FOUR TYPES OF LANGUAGE LABORATORY EQUIPMENT FEATURING INACTIVATED OR ACTIVATED FEEDBACK (IF OR AF) OR LONG OR SHORT DELAY PLAYBACK (LD OR SD) IN LEARNING TO PRONOUNCE FRENCH. AFTER PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTATION, THREE REPLICATION EXPERIMENTS WERE CONDUCTED WITH PAID JUNIOR…

Data to be used for evaluating university foreign language departmental practices in the oral aspects of language usage were gathered from questionnaire responses. The study was limited to undergraduate programs in French and Spanish and involved data from 155 department heads. A list of items studied and their mean importance ratings is provided.…