THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES INHERENT IN CURRENT METHODS OF MODERN LANGUAGE TEACHING ARE DISCUSSED AT LENGTH, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PEDAGOGY DERIVED FROM THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF LANGUAGE. THE IMPACT OF PHILOGICAL AND LINGUISTIC STUDIES OF "EXOTIC LANGUAGES" ON TRADITIONAL GRAMMATICAL CONCEPTS AND TERMINOLOGY IS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE PRESENTATION. SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OBTAINING EXCELLENCE IN CLASSROOM LANGUAGE LEARNING INCLUDE (1) CHOOSING MODERN TEXTBOOKS CONSTRUCTED ON AUDIO-LINGUISTIC PRINCIPLES, (2) DELAYING THE TEACHING OF WRITING AT LEAST A YEAR (LONGER, IF POSSIBLE) AFTER THE BEGINNING OF STUDY, (3) TEACHING PUPILS TO SPEAK BY LETTING THEM SPEAK A LOT, ABOUT PRACTICAL MATTERS, (4) ELABORATING ON PUPILS' WORK USING METHODS OF AUDIO-LINGUAL REINFORCEMENT, (5) LETTING INITIATION TO WRITING BE PRECEDED BY SEVERAL YEARS OF READING, AND (6) MAKING WRITING CONSIST OF TAKING DICTATION, DOING TRANSFORMATION EXERCISES, AND RESPONDING IN FRENCH TO QUESTIONS ASKED IN FRENCH. A RECENT CALCULATION HAS ESTIMATED THAT IT TAKES 1,200 HOURS TO LEARN TO SPEAK FRENCH WELL. THIS MEANS 8 ACADEMIC YEARS OF 5 ONE-HOUR CLASSES PER WEEK, PLUS ONE FULL HOUR'S HOMEWORK PER CLASS. IDEALLY, STUDY SHOULD BEGIN IN THE FIFTH GRADE. THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE "BAY STATE FL BULLETIN," VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3, APRIL 1967, PAGES 14-23. (JH)