Abstract: In recent years, there has been a great deal of research and pedagogical experimentation relating to the uses of technology in second (L2) and foreign language education. The majority of this research has usefully described and examined the efficacy of in-class and directly classroom-related uses of technology. This article broadens the scope of inquiry to include L2 and foreign language-related uses of technology that extend into the interstitial spaces between instructed L2 contexts and entirely out-of-school noninstitutional realms of freely chosen digital engagement. Two demographically and sociologically significant phenomena are examined in detail; the first focuses on participation in Internet interest communities such as fan fiction and virtual diaspora community spaces and the second describes a continuum of three-dimensional graphically rendered virtual environments and online games. A review of research in each of these areas reveals extended periods of language socialization into sophisticated communicative practices and demonstrates the salience of creative expression and language use as tools for identity development and management. In the final section of the article, we suggest a number of possibilities for synergistically uniting the analytic rigor of instructed L2 education with the immediacy and vibrancy of language use in digital vernacular contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study explores the extent to which bilingual speakers in stable bilingual communities become fully bilingual in their two community languages. Growing evidence shows that in bilingual communities in which one language is very dominant, acquisition of the dominant language may be quite unproblematic across sub-groups, while acquisition of the minority language can be hampered under conditions of reduced input. In Wales, children are exposed to both English and Welsh from an early age, either in the home or at school, or both. The data reported here indicate that regardless of home language background, speakers develop equivalent, mature command of English, but that command of Welsh is directly correlated with the level of input in Welsh in the home and at school. Furthermore, maintenance of Welsh in adulthood may be contingent on continued exposure to the language. The data have implications for theories of bilingual acquisition in stable versus immigrant bilingual communities, for optimal conditions for bringing up bilingual children, and for theories of critical periods of acquisition.

Abstract: Numerous studies over the past decade support the claim that infants are equipped with powerful statistical language learning mechanisms. The primary evidence for statistical language learning in word segmentation comes from studies using artificial languages, continuous streams of synthesized syllables that are highly simplified relative to real speech. To what extent can these conclusions be scaled up to natural language learning? In the current experiments, English-learning 8-month-old infants' ability to track transitional probabilities in fluent infant-directed Italian speech was tested (N = 72). The results suggest that infants are sensitive to transitional probability cues in unfamiliar natural language stimuli, and support the claim that statistical learning is sufficiently robust to support aspects of real-world language acquisition.

Abstract: By drawing on multiple examples of real-world language learning situations, this book explores the subjective aspects of the language learning experience. The author encourages readers to consider language learning from new, diverse, and unique perspectives. The book analyses data from a variety of sources, including language memoirs, online data from language learners in chat rooms, and text messaging exchanges. In the analysis of this data, the book looks at the relationship between symbolic form and the development of a multilingual subjectivity; links with memory, emotion, and the imagination; and the implications for language teaching pedagogy.

Abstract: To understand how teacher education might build the knowledge it needs, the editors of this issue investigate how organizations outside of education create and maintain “self‐improving” systems that enable them to learn how to get better at what they do. To learn about knowledge building in teacher education, the research reported here also looks outside—outside of mathematics teacher education and outside the structure of professional preparation for teaching as it occurs in universities and colleges. This article explores features of a system of collective knowledge building in and for teaching and teacher education that are in place in an international, school‐based program for teachers of Italian as a foreign language. We use our study of this unusual teacher education program to investigate how a carefully chosen set of instructional activities, built out of the essential social and intellectual routines of ambitious teaching, can make it possible for novices to teach ambitiously and for tea...

Abstract: Since their emergence in 2005, Web 2.0 technologies have been advanced as potentially transformative in the area of education in general and foreign language learning in particular. Web 2.0 technologies are presenting new opportunities for developing diverse online learning environments and enhancing interactivity, participation and feedback between students, their peer groups and teachers. This article examines one of the most significant Web 2.0 tools, Social Networking Sites (SNS), and focuses on Livemocha, an example of an online community specifically aimed at encouraging collaboration between foreign language learners. Results from the ethnographic approach adopted in the paper indicate that: (a) SNSs can be used by language learners to explore new relationships rather than merely maintain existing ones and that (b) longitudinal studies are required to achieve a better understanding of the complex processes of mediation involved in online community formation and maintenance. Image: "Learning Thai", Colodio / Flickr

Abstract: This paper reported the results of a study that aimed to construct a sensor and handheld augmented reality (AR)-supported ubiquitous learning (u-learning) environment called the Handheld English Language Learning Organization (HELLO), which is geared towards enhancing students' language learning. The HELLO integrates sensors, AR, ubiquitous computing and information technologies. It is composed of two subsystems: an English learning management system and a u-learning tool. In order to evaluate the effects of the proposed learning environment on the learning performance of students, a case study on English learning was conducted on a school campus. The participants included high school teachers and students. A learning course entitled ‘My Campus’ was conducted in the class; it included three activities, namely ‘Campus Environment’, ‘Campus Life’ and ‘Campus Story’. The evaluation results showed that the proposed HELLO and the learning activities could improve the students' English listening and speaking skills.

Abstract: Introduction - Miles Turnbull and Jennifer Dailey-O'Cain 1 Teachers' Use of the First Language in French Immersion: Revisiting a Core Principle - Brian McMillan and Miles Turnbull 2 Teacher Use of Code-Switching in the Second Language Classroom: Exploring 'Optimal' Use - Ernesto Macaro 3 Code-Switching in Computer-Mediated Communication: Linguistic and Interpersonal Dimensions of Cross-National Discourse Between School Learners of French and English - Michael Evans 4 Target Language Use in English Classes in Hungarian Primary Schools - Krisztina Nagy and Daniel Robertson 5 Forms and Functions of Code-Switching by Dual Immersion Students: A Comparison of Heritage Speaker and Second-Language Children - Kim Potowski 6 How Bilingual Children Talk: Strategic Code-Switching Among Children in Dual Language Programs - Janet M. Fuller 7 Teacher and Student Use of the First Language in Foreign Language Classroom Interaction: Functions and Applications - Jennifer Dailey-O'Cain and Grit Liebscher 8 Building Meaning Through Code Choice in Second Language Learner Interaction: A D/discourse Analysis and Proposals for Curriculum Design and Teaching - Glenn S. Levine 9 The Impact of Pedagogical Materials on Critical Language Awareness: Assessing Student Attention to Patterns of Language Use - Carl S. Blyth 10 Concluding Reflections: Moving Forward - Miles Turnbull and Jennifer Dailey-O'Cain

Abstract: Learner beliefs are an important individual difference in second language (L2) learning. Furthermore, an ongoing debate surrounds the role of grammar instruction and error correction in the L2 classroom. Therefore, this study investigated the beliefs of L2 learners regarding the controversial role of grammar instruction and error correction. A total of 754 L2 students at an American university completed a questionnaire consisting of 37 Likert-scale items and 4 open-ended prompts. The quantitative items were submitted to a factor analysis, which identified 6 underlying factors (efficacy of grammar, negative attitude toward error correction, priority of communication, importance of grammar, importance of grammatical accuracy, and negative attitude toward grammar instruction). These factors were then used to investigate differences in beliefs among learners studying different target languages. In addition, themes emerging from the qualitative data were identified. The results indicate that among learners studying English as a second language and those studying a foreign language, there were varied beliefs about grammar instruction and error correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the past decade, study abroad programs (SAPs) have more than doubled, where today, about 223,000 U.S. college students study abroad, immersing themselves in foreign language, culture, and busine...

Abstract: Fetal speech and language abilities were examined in 104 low-risk fetuses at 33-41 weeks gestational age using a familiarization/novelty paradigm. Fetuses were familiarized with a tape recording of either their mother or a female stranger reading the same passage and subsequently presented with a novel speaker or language: Studies (1) & (2) the alternate voice, (3) the father's voice, and (4) a female stranger speaking in native English or a foreign language (Mandarin); heart rate was recorded continuously. Data analyses revealed a novelty response to the mother's voice and a novel foreign language. An offset response was observed following termination of the father's and a female stranger's voice. These findings provide evidence of fetal attention, memory, and learning of voices and language, indicating that newborn speech/language abilities have their origins before birth. They suggest that neural networks sensitive to properties of the mother's voice and native-language speech are being formed.

Abstract: Foreign language learning contrasts with native language development in two key respects: It is unreliable and it is nonconvergent At the same time, it is clear that foreign languages are languages The fundamental difference hypothesis (FDH) was introduced as a way to account for the general characteristics of foreign language learning The FDH was originally formulated in the context of the theory of rich Universal Grammar, and this theory has guided much foreign language acquisition research over the past two decades However, advances in the understanding of language have undermined much of the supporting framework The FDH—indeed all of SLA research—must be rethought in light of these advances It is proposed here that (a) foreign language grammars make central use of patches, which are also seen as peripheral phenomena in native languages; (b) non-domain-specifi c processes are used in foreign language acquisition, but that these are also employed— although more effectively because they are integrated into the language system—by native language development; and (c) foreign language online processing relies heavily on the use of shallow parses, but these are also available in native language processing, although less crucially

Abstract: Expressions of basic emotions (joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust) can be recognized pan-culturally from the face and it is assumed that these emotions can be recognized from a speaker’s voice, regardless of an individual’s culture or linguistic ability. Here, we compared how monolingual speakers of Argentine Spanish recognize basic emotions from pseudo-utterances (“nonsense speech”) produced in their native language and in three foreign languages (English, German, Arabic). Results indicated that vocal expressions of basic emotions could be decoded in each language condition at accuracy levels exceeding chance, although Spanish listeners performed significantly better overall in their native language (“in-group advantage”). Our findings argue that the ability to understand vocally-expressed emotions in speech is partly independent of linguistic ability and involves universal principles, although this ability is also shaped by linguistic and cultural variables.

Abstract: Integrating Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) technology (personal multimedia players, cell phones, and handheld devices) into the foreign language curriculum is becoming commonplace in many secondary and higher education institutions. Current research has identified both pedagogically sound applications and important benefits to students. In this paper, we present the results of an initial study which compares the academic benefits of integrating podcasts into the curriculum against using them as a supplemental/review tool. The study’s findings indicate that when instructors use podcasts for multiple instructional purposes (e.g., to critique student projects and exams, for student video presentations, for student paired interviews, to complete specific assignments, dictations, in roundtable discussions, or for guest lectures), students are more likely to use this technology and to report academic benefits. While the study is limited by small sample sizes and by some within-group variation in instructional techniques, the study provides initial evidence that podcast technology has the potential to provide greater benefits if it is used more than simply as a tool for reviewing. The study’s positive findings indicate that additional research to examine the effects of specific instructional uses of podcast technology is merited.

Abstract: This article reports on the implementation of diagnostic assessment in an advanced Spanish language program at the university level. Particular attention is given to the use of dynamic assessment practices as a way to assess language abilities, intervene in learning, and document learners' growth. Dynamic assessment is conceptually based on sociocultural theory, specifically on Vygotsky's notion of Zone of Proximal Development (Lantolf & Thorne, 2006; Minick, 1987). Assessment procedures conducted with third-year Spanish language majors are described with the purpose of illustrating the potential of dynamic assessment for second language learning contexts. Students took a five-part diagnostic test. Two parts of the test, the writing and speaking sections, were conducted following dynamic assessment procedures. A qualitative analysis of the results shows that dynamic assessment allows for a deeper and richer description of learners' actual and emergent abilities, which enables programs to devise individualized instructional plans attuned to learners' needs. Key words: advanced language learners, dynamic assessment, language assessment, language acquisition, program evaluation Language: Spanish Introduction University second and foreign language programs have been increasingly concerned with the assessment of their language majors. While language proficiency assessment of first- and second-year university students has been the focus of many studies over some decades now, studies on the language abilities of advanced language learners have been limited. This article reports on the implementation of diagnostic assessment to beginning Spanish language majors (third-year).1 The specific focus here is on the use of dynamic assessment (DA) practices as a way to measure language abilities, intervene in learning, and document learners' growth. DA has been used as an alternative means of assessment in educational settings for several decades. Its conceptual basis is rooted in sociocultural theory, specifically in Vygotsky's notion of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). A fundamental difference with nondynamic types of assessment is the active role taken by the examiner during the testing situation. Discussions and applications of DA to second/foreign language contexts are yet scarce, but promising (Lantolf & Thorne, 2006; Poehner, 2007). This study frames the use of DA procedures into the larger context of language program evaluation through learners' outcomes. First, the study presents previous models of assessment of language majors. Then the principles and procedures of DA are discussed, followed by a review of studies that have applied DA to second language (L2) contexts. Finally, the study describes and proposes a comprehensive plan for assessment in an advanced Spanish language program as a model to diagnose language ability. The introduction of dynamic procedures during the writing and speaking sections of the assessment receives special attention. In particular, the analysis shows that DA allows for a deeper and richer assessment of learners' actual and emergent abilities, which enables programs to devise individualized instructional plans in accordance with learners' needs. Assessment of L2 Majors, Why and How? There have been several reports on the assessment of the language proficiency of undergraduates, mostly concerning beginning- and intermediate-level learners completing general university language requirements (Chalhoub-Deville, 1999; Freed, 1984; Teschner, 1991). Studies of assessment of L2 majors within university programs have been rare. Liskin-Gasparro (1995) reported on plans for assessment of language majors at two institutions, as follows. A plan designed by the University of Iowa (the Iowa Model) proposed to conduct an oral proficiency test, to carry out a writing assessment based on two compositions, to hold exit interviews with graduating seniors, and to collect information by means of questionnaires to majors and alumni. …

Abstract: Acknowledgments Note on Transliteration and Spelling Introduction: A New Emotional Commitment to Language 1. From Language of the Land to Language of the People: Geography, Language, and Community in Southern India 2. Making a Subject of Language 3. Making the Local Foreign: Shared Language and History in Southern India 4. From Pandit to Primer: Pedagogy and Its Mediums 5. From the Art of Memory to the Art of Translation: Making Languages Parallel 6. Martyrs in the Name of Language? Death and the Making of Linguistic Passion Conclusion: Language as a New Foundational Category Notes Bibliography Index

Abstract: This article argues that the Council of Europe's European Language Portfolio is capable of supporting the implementation of language learner autonomy on a large scale. It begins by explaining what the author understands by ‘language learner autonomy’, then introduces the European Language Portfolio and explains how it can stimulate reflective learning in which goal setting and self-assessment play a central role. It concludes by giving two practical examples that involve the learning of L2 English in Ireland, in one case by adult immigrants with refugee status and in the other by newcomer pupils in primary schools.

Abstract: by Wolfgang Butzkamm and John A W Caldwell narr studienbucher 2009 978-3-8233-6492-4 The question of whether the mother tongue (MT) should be allowed in foreign language (FL) teaching has a long history in methodology debates. It has often been argued that the MT should definitely be avoided as it has a detrimental effect on learning a foreign language. Wolfgang Butzkamm and John Caldwell, however, claim not only that the monolingual approach has a weak basis in theory (even though they consider it a comprehensible reaction to the outcomes of the grammar-translation method), but also that it is better to work with the MT as a ‘natural tendency’ in FL teaching. To support their inclination towards a more relaxed approach to MT use, they scrutinise the reality of what they call the ‘MT taboo’, formulate a theory of MT use in the FL classroom and exemplify their insights through practical teaching techniques. It is the combination of theory and practice that makes the book much more than a ‘how to use the MT in FL teaching’ guide. The book discusses the importance of ‘immersion’ for MT acquisition, which means that a child is exposed to a huge amount of language, first learning chunks of language for communicative purposes and much later learning to break them down into parts. Since it is impractical to reproduce this natural process of acquiring a language in the FL classroom because of restrictions on the time available and, therefore, the exposure to the target language, FL teaching has to provide a focus on both meaning and structure. A prudent use of MT here helps make life easier for teachers and learners: ‘sandwiching’, mirroring and contrasting or literal translation, as the authors show, can be embedded in pattern drills in grammar teaching, dialogue work and drama. Moreover, it can increase the input of authentic material in the form of, for example, bilingual readers or DVDs with subtitles. A controlled use of the MT in the FL classroom also allows access to the understanding of language concepts that each learner has, even if those concepts are different in the MT and the FL. For example, when a teacher wants to show how continuous tenses are formed to learners whose own language has no continuous tenses, translation is a better way to express finer shades of meaning than an explanation or paraphrase in the target language. When the FL can be integrated into existing knowledge (ie the MT), the FL is ‘deforeignised’ and confidence is built up in the learner. In other words, the MT can be useful in promoting understanding of both form and meaning (which use of the FL alone often fails to do). Real understanding and control are key words in this book, and it is argued that fashionable methods of communicative language teaching which strictly exclude the MT often cause a learning situation in which students do not really understand what they are saying (but merely parrot phrases for no communicative reason) and, as a result, skills learning is impeded. The authors put their case convincingly, supporting their arguments with insights into the mechanisms used by children growing up bilingually: mixing their languages is a tactic that helps them learn. A separate chapter discusses ‘translation as a fifth skill’ with the help of some intellectually demanding (and therefore enjoyable) classroom activities, which, not least, help develop MT competence. The authors do admit that there are many situations where monolingualism is preferable, especially for classroom management, and claim that a controlled use of the MT should actually increase the time available for using the FL. The book is aimed particularly at student teachers, having study questions and tasks at the end of each chapter as well as many practical ideas, but I am sure that experienced teachers will also benefit from it. A benchmark in its field, the book is a must for all those who want to contribute to the debate over the pros and cons of using the MT in FL teaching.

Abstract: This paper presents a snapshot of what has been investigated in terms of the relationship between machine translation (MT) and foreign language (FL) teaching and learning. For this purpose four different roles of MT in the language class have been identified: MT as a bad model, MT as a good model, MT as a vocational training tool (especially in the form of translation memories, pre-editing and post-editing), and MT as a “CALL tool”. Subsequently, some of the implications of the use of MT and of free online MT for FL learning are outlined and discussed along with practical examples for language teaching purposes. Finally, qualitative data, drawn from our empirical investigation are presented as synthesized findings pertaining to the perceptions of language learners and tutors in relation to the use of MT and, in particular, free online MT as a language tool.

Abstract: During the past thirty years or so, teacher education research has made significant contributions to the exploration of teachers' beliefs, and the relationship between teachers' beliefs and practices, which has produced important findings for both pre-service and in-service teacher education. This article reviews the research on pre-service teachers' beliefs and practices in the filed of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL), extrapolating the complex relationship between EFL teachers' beliefs and practices. It begins with a discussion about the definition of belief, followed by an overview of the research history on teacher beliefs in general. After discussing the basic components of EFL teachers' beliefs, this article summarizes the empirical studies on pre-service teachers' beliefs and practices since 1990s, which reveals the diversity of the studies on EFL pre-service teachers' beliefs. Finally, the article outlines three perspectives from which EFL pre-service teacher education can be informed.

Abstract: The role of the first language (L1) in the learning of a second language (L2) has been widely studied as a source of cross-linguistic influence from the native system (Gass and Selinker 1992). Yet, this perspective provides no room for an understanding of language as a cognitive tool (Vygostsky 1978), that is, language as a mediating tool in all forms of higher-order mental processing. Recent findings in both foreign language classrooms (Anton and DiCamilla 1999; Brooks and Donato 1994) and immersion classrooms (Swain and Lap-kin 2000) suggest that the L1 may be a useful tool for learning the L2. This line of research argues that an L1 shared by learners provides cognitive support that allows them to work at a higher level than that which would be possible if they were just using the L2. This paper reports the findings of a study which analyses the use of the L1 and its functions in the oral interaction of twelve pairs of undergraduate EFL learners with low proficiency in the target language while engaged in three collaborative tasks (jigsaw, text reconstruction and dictogloss). Our findings indicate that the L1 is an important tool for these learners and that there is task-related variation in its use.

Abstract: In this paper we will explore the nature of English as it is used in one Muslim country and argue that, far from being a colonizing language, English used in Pakistan reflects Islamic values and embodies South Asian Islamic sensitivities. Through analysis of the current discourses on the politics of the English language and a study of Pakistani English, a framework is developed that can be used to study the relationship between Islam and English in other contexts.

Abstract: A spoken language eye-tracking methodology was used to evaluate the effects of sentence context and proficiency on parallel language activation during spoken language comprehension. Nonnative speakers with varying proficiency levels viewed visual displays while listening to French sentences (e.g., Marie va decrire la poule [Marie will describe the chicken]). Displays depicted several objects including the final noun target (chicken) and an interlingual near-homophone (e.g., pool) whose name in English is phonologically similar to the French target (poule). Listeners' eye movements reflected temporary consideration of the interlingual competitor when hearing the target noun, demonstrating cross-language lexical competition. However, competitor fixations were dramatically reduced when prior sentence information was incompatible with the competitor (e.g., Marie va nourrir... [Marie will feed...]). In contrast, interlingual competition from English did not vary according to participants' rated proficiency in French, even though proficiency reliably predicted other aspects of processing behavior, suggesting higher proficiency in the active language does not provide a significant independent source of control over interlingual competition. The results provide new insights into the nature of parallel language activation in naturalistic sentential contexts.

Abstract: Preface (by Ilona Leki) Introduction - Rosa M. ManchonPART 1: Looking back. Research insights Chapter 1: Situated writing practices in foreign language settings - Carol Rinnert and Hiroe Kobayashi Chapter 2: Changes in EFL studentsi?½ writing over 3.5 years - Miyuki Sasaki Chapter 3: Towards a blueprint of the foreign language writer - R. Schoonen, P. Snellings, M. Stevenson, and A. van Gelderen Chapter 4: The problem-solving nature of foreign language composing - Rosa Manchon, Julio Roca, and Liz Murphy Chapter 5: Age-related differences and associated factors in foreign language writing - M. Luz Celaya and Teresa Naves Chapter 6: The globalization of scholarship - John Flowerdew and Yongyan Li. Chapter 7: A critical evaluation of writing teaching programmes in different foreign language settings - Melinda ReicheltPART 2: Looking ahead. Issues in theory, research, and pedagogy. Chapter 8: The contribution of studies of foreign language writing research to research, theories, and policies - Alister Cumming Chapter 9: Studying writing across English as a foreign language contexts - Lourdes Ortega Chapter 10: Training for writing or training for reality? - Christine Pearson Casanave. PART 3: Coda Chapter 11: Bibliography on sources on foreign language writing - Melinda Reichelt

Abstract: This article sets out to identify key competencies which language tutors need to develop in order to manage synchronous online teaching. In order to aptly monitor interactions with distant learners, it is proposed that three types of regulation pertaining to socio-affective, pedagogical and multimedia aspects are required. On the one hand, this research aims at specifying these competencies and, on the other hand, it seeks to identify the relevance of reflective analysis for professional development. The context of this study is a teacher training programme for Masters Degree students in teaching French as a foreign language that provides trainees with the opportunity of teaching online to intermediate-level students of French from a North American university via a desktop videoconferencing platform. This programme first endeavours to put trainees in a professional situation by getting them to prepare and administer sessions in order to confront them with the specific challenges of synchronous online tutoring. Second, it seeks to help them to gain insight into their own activity by developing critical thinking towards their own practice. The data elicited for this research derive from the tutor trainees’ interpretations of their own practice when confronted with the film of their own situated activity. The episodes chosen by the trainees to feed the self-confrontation process constitute significant units because by being told and commented upon, they elucidate how and to what extent competencies are built. Three discursive strategies have been identified and used to organise the content analysis of the data: description; expression of a difficulty; reflective review of the activity. The strategies used by trainees to verbalise their own activity can inform teacher educators about the constraints of the work situation and about the resources trainees need to deploy to face up to this unknown professional situation. Results indicate that trainees concentrate particularly on pedagogical aspects that distance and faulty technology have rendered complex. The encountered difficulties are equally distributed between a repertoire of competencies pertaining to language teaching and competencies more directly linked with online teaching. Finally, this study has enabled us to assess the potential of self-confrontation for teacher practice and leads us to propose directions for improving this training device.

Abstract: This article presents a new procedure for the evaluation of EFL teacher-training programmes based on principles of programme evaluation and foreign-language-teacher (FLT) education. The procedure f...

Abstract: 1. Acknowledgements 2. Section 1. Early work 3. Chapter 1. Learners' word associations in French 4. Chapter 2. Word associations in a foreign language 5. Section 2. Associations as productive vocabulary 6. Chapter 3. Lex30: An improved method of assessing productive vocabulary in an L2 7. Chapter 4. Exploring the validity of a test of productive vocabulary 8. Section 3. Word association networks 9. Chapter 5. Network structures and vocabulary acquisition in a foreign language 10. Chapter 6. V_Links: Beyond vocabulary depth 11. Chapter 7. A further note on simulating word association behaviour in an L2 12. Section 4. Bibliographical resources for word associations in an L2 13. Chapter 8. Word associations in a second language: An annotated bibliography 14. Section 5. Software applications 15. Chapter 9. The Lex30 v3.00 manual 16. Chapter 10. The V_Six v1.00 manual 17. Chapter 11. WA_Sorter: The manual 18. References 19. Index

Abstract: The Tactical Language and Culture Training System (TLCTS) helps people quickly acquire communicative skills in foreign languages and cultures. More than 40,000 learners worldwide have used TLCTS courses. TLCTS utilizes artificial intelligence technologies during the authoring process, and at run time to process learner speech, engage in dialog, and evaluate and assess learner performance. This paper describes the architecture of TLCTS and the artificial intelligence technologies that it employs, and presents results from multiple evaluation studies that demonstrate the benefits of learning foreign language and culture using this approach.