This contains 12 articles that focus on the specific issues related to the language needs of international teaching assistants (ITAs) as related to the broader field of applied linguistics and English for Specific Purposes (ESP). This volume demonstrates the uniqueness of problems related to classroom discourse and to the training of ITAs unfamiliar with the pedagogical as well as cultural customs of U.S. classrooms. The articles include: (1) "Communicative Competence as a Theoretical Framework for ITA Education" (Barbara Hoekje and Jessica Williams); (2) "Discourse Competence in a Framework for ITA Training" (Peter A. Shaw); (3) "Enhancing Curricula for ITA Development" (Jan Smith); (4) "Using Performance Assessment Methods to Screen ITAs" (Sarah L. Briggs); (5) "Question-Based Discourse in Science Labs: Issues for ITAs" (Cynthia L. Myers); (6) "Student Questions: When, Where, Why, and How Many" (Patricia L. Rounds); (7) "Effective Role-Play Situations and Focused Feedback: A Case for Pragmatic Analysis in the Classroom" (Andrea E. Tyler); (8) "The Functional Language of the U.S. TA During Office Hours" (Beverley J. McChesney); (9) "Discourse Strategies for ITAs Across Instructional Contexts" (Elizabeth R. Axelson and Carolyn G. Madden); (10) "ITAs, Interaction, and Communicative Effectiveness" (George Yule); (11) "Demystifying Cross-Cultural (Mis)communication: Improving Performance Through Balanced Feedback in a Situated Context" (Catherine E. Davies and Andrea E. Tyler); and (12) "Native and Nonnative Teaching Assistants: A Case Study of Discourse Domains and Genres" (Dan Douglas and Larry Selinker). (Contains over 280 references.) (NAV)