Abstract: leashed by the proficiency movement in this country reminds one of the enthusiasm generated in Europe ten years ago by the communicative approach.' There, the renewal came from the needs of foreign workers and adult professionals travelling within the EEC. It had a high degree of social and political urgency and carried with it a great deal of the idealism of the sixties. Here, the proficiency landslide is born out of national military concerns and economic interests; several setbacks in US international diplomacy have made it clear that US monolingualism and monoculturalism are putting this nation at risk.2 The push for foreign language proficiency in schools and universities aims at "aligning government and academic goals," i.e., goals of the defense department and those of education.3 This paper will first summarize the educational goals of the proficiency movement as they are expressed in particular by Higgs and Lowe.4 It will then examine the extent to which

Abstract: The research on effective teaching conducted since 1974 has yielded a pattern of instruction that is particularly useful for teaching a body of content or well-defined skills. This pattern is a systematic method for presenting material in small steps, pausing to check for student understanding, and eliciting active and successful participation from all students. Although this method was derived primarily from reading and mathematics research conducted in elementary and junior high schools, the results are applicable to any “well-structured” (Simon 1973) discipline where the objective is to teach performance skills or mastery of a body of knowledge. Specifically, these results are most applicable to the teaching of mathematical procedures and computations, reading decoding, explicit reading procedures such as distinguishing fact from opinion, science facts and concepts, social studies facts and concepts, map skills, grammatical concepts and rules, and foreign language vocabulary and grammar. These findings are less relevant for teaching in areas that are less well-structured, that is, where the skills do not follow explicit steps or the concepts are fuzzier and entangled. Thus, the results of this research are less relevant for teaching composition, writing of term papers, reading comprehension, analyzing literature or historical trends, for the discussion of social issues, or for teaching entangled concepts such as “liberal” or “modernism” (Spiro and Meyers 1984).

Abstract: The issues related to power and politics of the English language are presented specifically in relation to the unprecedented global spread of the language. Several perspectives—linguistic and non-linguistic—used to conceptualize the relationship between language and power are considered, particularly that of Michel Foucault. The power-related issues, and their manifestations and implications, are seen in terms of various control-acquiring strategies resulting in political manipulations and language conflicts. The interplay of power and politics within the three Concentric Circles of English (Kachru, 1985a) is shown in issues related to sociolinguistics, linguistic innovations and language pedagogy. It is claimed that the most vital power is that of the ‘ideological change’ which has been attributed to the knowledge of the English language and literature in the Outer and Expanding Circles. The paper aims at providing a blueprint for the study and conceptualization of selected issues related to the power and politics of an international language.

Abstract: In this third edition of the bestselling classic textbook, Martin Montgomery explores the key connections between language and social life. Guiding the student through discussions on child language, accent and dialect, social class and gender, as well as a number of other topics, Montgomery provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the function of language in modern society. This third edition includes: new sections on dialect levelling and estuary English; hip-hop and rapping as anti-language and ‘crossing’ between Creole, Panjabi and South Asian English new material on the Gulf War and the 'War on Terror' discussions on language in internet usage and new technologies updated examples and references. With detailed suggestions for further reading and practical work for each chapter, An Introduction to Language and Society is the ideal resource for students and teachers of Communication Studies and Language Studies.

Abstract: the "Proficiency Movement," primarily represented by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Proficiency Guidelines (Guidelines) and the oral interview test of language proficiency ("ACTFL Oral Interview") based on them.2 Proponents of the Guidelines have made the explicit and reasonable claim that they can provide not only a basis for criterion-referenced testing and improved professional standards (Higgs, 1982), but also a new blueprint for foreign language curriculum design and foreign language teaching methods.3 However, many in our profession expect the Guidelines to provide the solution to all classroom trials and tribulations. And, of course, many cynically view the effort as simply another of the many bandwagons to visit us in recent decades.

Abstract: This paper attempts to demonstrate direct links between Australian language and other aspects of Australian culture. The existence of such links – intuitively obvious and yet notoriously hard to prove – is often rejected in the name of scientific rigor (“if they can't be proved then it is better either to assume that they don't exist or at least not to talk about them”). Nonetheless, the problem continues to exercise fascination over scholars, as it does over the general public. The author proposes ways in which the linguist's methodological tools can be sharpened so that the apparently untractable and yet fundamental issues of “language as a guide to social reality” can be studied in ways which are both linguistically precise and culturally revealing. Linguistic phenomena such as expressive derivation, illocutionary devices, and speech act verbs are related to the literature on the Australian society, “national character,” history, and culture. (Ethnolinguistics, Whorfian hypothesis, Australian English, speech acts, expressive derivation, names)

Abstract: NO LONGER SEEN AS A "PASSIVE") SKILL BUT AN INteractive process, foreign language reading is now receiving deserved attention from theorists, researchers, and teachers. Of course, in the midst of renewed interest in reading and the current emphasis on the development of foreign language reading skills and strategies, arises the difficult question of what the reading process entails. A number of factors are being considered, including perception of print, reader's background knowledge and interest in the text, individual facility with various reading strategies (including inferencing, predicting, using illustrations), and language knowledge (including grammar control and vocabulary range).' Continuing research indicates that each factor has a certain importance; in this study, we examine the role of language knowledge. Is it true, as certain theorists have maintained, and others implied, that vocabulary is the most important factor for success in foreign language reading comprehension?2 How much do readers depend upon syntax to get meaning from a text? In the hope of adding useful data related to such questions, this study investigates the relative importance of lexical/semantic or syntactic knowledge or skill with regard to the reading comprehension abilities of English speakers in French.

Abstract: vocabulary, Richards observes that the teaching and learning of vocabulary have "never aroused the same degree of interest within language teaching as have such issues as grammatical competence, contrastive analysis, reading, or writing."' His statement is certainly accurate, despite the fact that an impoverished vocabulary is a serious problem, especially in the area of reading comprehension, for intermediate and advanced students of foreign languages. A thirtyminute reading assignment for a native speaker often becomes a threeto four-hour ordeal for

Abstract: We performed an experiment to test the possibility that distinct languages (in this case, English and Chinese) are capable of exerting language-specific effects on people's impressions of and memory for other individuals. Parallel English- and Chinese-language descriptions were created of two characters exemplifying personality schemas with economical labels in English but not in Chinese, and two characters exemplifying personality schemas with economical labels in Chinese but not in English. Three groups of subjects participated in the experiment: English monolingual^ Chinese-English bilinguals who read and responded in English, and Chinese-English bilinguals who read and responded in Chinese. We predicted that subjects processing the target descriptions in English would show greater evidence of schematic thinking in the case of the two characters representing Englishlabeled schemas, whereas subjects processing the target descriptions in Chinese would show greater evidence of schematic thinking in the case of the two characters representing Chinese-labeled schemas. This prediction was confirmed. Both impressions and memory were affected when the target's personality and behavior conformed to a labeled schema in the subject's language of processing. The results are discussed in relation to current social psychological conceptions of schematic processing and in relation to the Whorfian hypothesis of linguistic relativity. The idea that the particular language one speaks importantly affects the manner in which one perceives and thinks about the world—the linguistic relativity hypothesis—has a long but somewhat checkered history within the disciplines of psychology, anthropology, linguistics, and philosophy. Benjamin Lee Whorf, this century's most influential proponent of the linguistic relativity hypothesis, expressed its central proposition as follows:

Abstract: In October 1982, Edward R. Neaher, a federal judge in Brooklyn, New York, rejected a lawsuit pleading that Social Security forms are discriminatory because they are not also printed in Spanish. In rendering his decision, Judge Neaher blandly stated that 'the national language of the United States is English' (The New York Times 1982b). Persons unfamiliar with the law might not be surprised by the ruling, but those who know something of America's history were surprised, for the United States does not have an official language, nor has it ever had in its two centuries, nor was there an official language before when we were only a group of colonies of Great Britain. There are lawmakers currently in Congress who feel that this Situation needs redress. They have proposed in both houses joint resolutions that would amend the Constitution, making English our official language. At first glance, nothing could seem more obvious or uncontroversial, seemingly correcting an oversight of the Founding Fathers. But after careful study and thought, there appear few issues that could be more politically sensitive for our nation's future if not handled delicately and with great care. The issue of an official language is fraught with potential hostility and is conducive even to possibilities for violence, a potential powder keg needing only the proverbial match to ignite a political fire storm. This study examines this issue of an official language for the United States, the history of our not having one, and the reasons we do not, äs well äs the wording and ramifications of the Constitutional amendments proposed in Congress thus far. The effect of such an amendment's ratification upon the language Statutes in six selected states is also studied. These states were selected both for their language laws and how these impact on their nonEnglish-speaking citizens, and also for their diverse stances to the questions of multiethnic and multilingual culture and its preservation. The states studied are New Mexico, for its constitutional and treaty-guaranteed bilingualism;

Abstract: This study examined case studies of four college students with suspected learning disabilities who were experiencing severe problems learning a foreign language. Characteristics of the students and types of problems they encountered in a foreign language were described, drawn from interviews, observations, and diagnostic test results. Findings suggested that all four students had deficiencies in listening comprehension and concomitant difficulties with an audiolingual approach to teaching. A checklist of problem areas to consider in identifying and working with learning‐disabled students who have difficulties learning a foreign language was compiled. Ideas for further research in this heretofore unexplored area were suggested.

Abstract: : This report is part of a Language Skill Change Project, a longitudinal research effort to determine the status of skills of Army linguists after formal language training is over. The work described concerns development of a valid and reliable instrument to measure the frequency of use of various second language learning strategies. Findings indicate that key factors in long- term retention are study skills, functional practice, searching for and communicating meaning, formal practice, mnemonics, and fear of using the second language. Keywords: Learning strategies, Language learning, Army linguists, Language acquisition, Foreign language training.

Abstract: The development of Indonesian as a new national language is closely linked to the development of Indonesia as a new nation, but the Indonesian language has only rarely been studied as a part of larger patterns of social and cultural change. An overview of the language situation in Jakarta, Indonesia's center and capital, highlights linguistic continuities and discontinuities between that modern speech community and the traditional culture of the dominant Indonesian ethnic group, the Javanese. The speech repertoires of Jakartans do not resemble the well-known Javanese speech levels, as Benedict Anderson has suggested, but they are better described with the widely known sociolinguistic concept of diglossia. This relatively abstract characterization can be complemented by a study of patterns of borrowing into Indonesian from foreign languages, which may reflect long-standing indigenous attitudes toward power and the use of foreign linguistic codes. Different aspects of the rapidly changing linguistic situation in Jakarta may reflect on the emerging national language and culture.

Abstract: Although there is a trend to advocate the use of authentic texts in the foreign language classroom, a consensus regarding the criteria determining textual authenticity has not been reached. Instead, researchers often provide varying, sometimes conflicting definitions as to what comprise authentic materials. This paper draws on research in discourse analysis in an attempt to determine text authenticity through text type authenticity and provide implications for classroom materials. A text may be considered a spoken or written verbal unit, and a text type may be described as a specific type of spoken or written unit. Thus, for example, the text type “textbook conversation,” written by textbook authors for the purpose of teaching specific structures, can probably not be defined as the text type “authentic conversation,” in which native speakers engage in speaking for purposes other than to teach their language. In addition a ranking of types of conversational texts, from most to least authentic, provides a scale by which to judge the value of materials used in the classroom.

Abstract: AUTHOR Kienbaum, Barbara E.; And Others TITLE Communicative Competence in Foreign Language Learning with Authentic Materials. Final Project Report. INSTITUTION Purdue Univ., Calumet, IN. Dept. of Foreign Languages and Literatures. SPONS AGENCY Center for International Education (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE Aug 86 GRANT G6008440253 NOTE 36p. PUB TYPE Reports Descriptive (141) -Reports Research/Technical (143)

Abstract: Proficiency testing-particularly oral proficiency testingand its implications for teaching are frequently encountered topics in recent professional literature and conferences. The ACTFL Provisional Proficiency Guidelines and the ACTFL/ETS Oral Interview procedure have finally given us a common terminology and standards for assessing the proficiency of foreign language majors, teachers, and other professionals with a need for fluency in a second language. Learning no longer needs to be measured in meaningless terms of semesters of study or credit hours, but can be assessed in terms of real-life practical communicative skills which are usable outside the classroom.

Abstract: come to dominate the field of foreign language teaching in the United States is almost an understatement. The October, 1984 issue of Foreign Language Annals, the Fall, 1984 issue of Die Unterrichtspraxis, the 1984, 1985, and 1986 volumes of the ACTFL Foreign Language Education Series, and the 1985 Northeast and Southern Conferences on Language Teaching, as well as a number of individual articles in

Abstract: As important as vocabulary is in reading a foreign language, other factors also appear to be involved. Some of these additional factors are the reader's familiarity with conventions of written texts in the native and foreign languages, awareness of cultural differences between both languages, and knowledge of the macro- and micro-level structures of a text. This paper examines evidence from different studies indicating problem areas in reading comprehension. Students' mistranslations from English to Hebrew were examined to diagnose difficulties in reading comprehension. Mistranslations and misinterpretations of illocutionary force, logical connectors, and modifiers indicated that many students were either unable to draw on a culturally appropriate memory schema to understand the texts or had preconceived notions about word meanings that dominated their interpretations and prevented them from correctly using contextual clues.

Abstract: experience. This article reports the findings of a nationwide survey of US students majoring in a foreign language who study, travel, and work abroad. Emerging from this study is a profile of traveling foreign language majors and the nature of their international experience. The first college study abroad programs for college students were linked to the formal study of language in the college curriculum. Archer Brown describes the origin of study abroad programs: "In the 1920s the University of Delaware and Sweetbriar and Smith Colleges introduced the concept of spending a junior year abroad for undergraduate language majors and, in so doing, began a pattern of study abroad that is still very much in effect."'1 The pattern Brown identifies can be seen in the publication of Marjorie Cohen's Work, Study, Travel Abroad: The Whole World Handbook, which describes study abroad opportunities for US students. In 1984, this Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) publication listed some 470 programs around the globe which emphasize the study of language and culture (pp. 299-339). The Institute of International Education estimates that 27,145 students participated in study abroad programs sponsored by US educational institutions in. 198283.2 Increasingly, high school students are encouraged to participate in international education opportunities in other countries. Underlying most of these programs is the assumption that immersion in another culture enances cultural learning as well as language learning.3 In addition to those programs linked directly to a language curriculum at the secondary and post-secondary level, students participate in programs initiated by private non-degree granting organizations. Still others pursue international exchange through a host of work, independent study, and travel opportunities. Brown's estimate (p. 72) that 750,000 US students studied, traveled, or worked abroad during the early years of this decade indicates large numbers of students choosing these alternatives.

Abstract: ["Recent years", Spolsky writes, "have marked the triumph of functional, communicative tests...but there remain basic problems." This article focuses on one of these problems: the 'submersion of individual identities' in overall rating scales and goals for foreign language instruction.]