Reviews the different categories of native pauses and describes techniques for incorporating them cautiously into the spoken French of anglophones (especially Americans), suggesting that proper pause behavior is actually a definite mark of authentic sounding and well-controlled speech. (Author/CB)

Reviews DRILL 2.0, an Apple Macintosh courseware authoring system with several exercises that can be tailored for foreign language classes. Such aspects as student operation, instructor design, and disadvantages are considered. (CB).

Discusses the contribution and use of personal computers in second language teaching and learning, including consideration of the previous general lack of use of IBM computers and of IBM's establishment of Advanced Education Projects at 19 universities to set up computer-assisted instructional programs. (CB)

Presents the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Language Chinese Proficiency Guidelines, detailing stages of proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. (CB)

Discusses the results of a workshop examining the application of American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages proficiency testing to African languages, focusing on the possibility of an alternative testing procedure for those languages for which certified testers are not available and the potentials and problems of a team assessment…

Examines university-level French students trained to use effective reading strategies and skills. Results indicate that, although the trained students demonstrated better reading comprehension than did their untrained peers, the variables of teaching methodologies and cognitive styles significantly affected the outcome. (Author/CB)

Adolescents' responses to California Psychological Inventory before and after one-month homestay in Japan indicated that all had become more flexibile and independent and less conventional. Those students who had either no previous language study or three or four semesters of language study prior to the homestay changed more than those with one or…

Describes several successful learning activities implemented in a six-credit undergraduate commercial Spanish course at Marywood College (Pennsylvania), including descriptions of supplementary materials and an example of a file of original student correspondence.(Author/CB)

Describes and reviews "systeme-D," a foreign language microcomputer software package that provides support for composition writing in French. The software's pedagogical philosophy, programming, usability, technical ease, teaching use, intended audience, learning use, and related research are discussed. (CB)

Presents the 1986 proficiency guidelines for Russian developed by the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages. The guidelines cover speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills for the levels of novice, intermediate, advanced, and superior. (CB)

Argues that the research on language immersion and subject-matter teaching indicates that the immersion approach is a feasible and desirable alternative to traditional skills-based instruction for college-level foreign-language programs. (Author/CB)

Investigates the degree to which potential users of language reading proficiency scales acquire the standard for accurately grading reading passages of foreign-language learners. A five-day workshop helped users of the guidelines rank reading passages for levels of difficulty and rate them accurate according to the ACTFL scales. (Author/CB)

A survey seeking basic information about elementary school foreign-language instruction in Michigan indicated that the programs generally have goals relevant to current literature, are diverse, are generally meeting their goals, and are well accepted by educators, parents, and the community. (CB)

A study of 52 Spanish-speaking English as a second language college students revealed that the din phenomenon (a form of spontaneous mental rehearsal in which words, sound, and phrases are replayed) was very common among subjects and at all stages of language acquisition. (Author/CB)

Suggests appropriate kinds of texts and ways foreign language teachers can lead students through readings that build understanding of the target culture. Examples presented regarding Spanish are applicable to other beginning language courses. (Author/CB)