La Grammaire pour le dire was written with two basic principles in mind: minimizing grammatical jargon and maximizing the use of authentic French through exposure to some of the best examples of French and Francophone literature. Wherever possible, the exercises are built on the use of excerpts from well-crafted literary texts that clearly exhibit the grammatical structures which are covered in a typical French grammar review course. The text reviews the verb conjugation concepts of voice, mood, and tense. It covers determiners, adjectives and adverbs, comparatives and superlatives, prepositions, conjunctions, and pronouns. Students can review direct and indirect reported speech and learn literary tenses. This second edition features a more concise presentation of material, fresh literary excerpts and exercises, and new images. La Grammaire pour le dire enhances the language learning experience by giving students exposure to the language as it is used by native speakers. The literary excerpts not only model grammatical structures, but also convey cultural knowledge.

Elementary Korean I Activity Book features a variety of task- and usage-based activities designed to help students improve their communicative skills in Korean. The introduction reviews the Korean alphabet, ensuring students are able to read and write Korean consonants and vowels, recognize them when heard, form a syllable block in Korean, and write their own name. Additional chapters help students practice everyday topics of conversation in Korean, including personal introductions, talking about their belongings, describing how they feel about their classes, and identifying the location of a place. Students learn how to talk about their daily activities, ask about the price of items, introduce their family members, talk about their past, and more. Closing chapters help students master the necessary vocabulary to set up a meeting place and make plans for vacation. Featuring a highly practical focus, Elementary Korean I Activity Book is an ideal supplementary text for foundational courses in Korean.

Allez! Foundations in Beginning French uses a simple, innovative, and completely interactive method to teach elementary French. The goal is for students to become comfortable speaking and understanding the target language through a personal, highly engaged learning experience. Based on the premise that students learn a language best through direct communication with others, the book steers students away from audio recordings, videos, and online learning. Instead, it provides numerous opportunities for students to converse with each other through a variety of activities, such as dialogues, stories, cultural readings, tongue-twisters, word games, and famous quotes. Each chapter features Les Conversations Francaises, a series of student-directed, easy-to-evaluate, in-class skits that encourage students to have fun and experiment with the language without feeling intimidated by the need to be grammatically perfect. The second edition includes new content and improved pacing throughout, based on extensive class testing. More cultural material helps acquaint students with the French language as encountered in French-speaking countries other than France, and a completely refreshed layout highlights updated, enhanced images as well as a reorganization of content and topics. Allez! provides students with the information and practice they need to successfully master written and spoken beginning French. The text is ideal for introductory French classes at the community college or undergraduate level.

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Never before have parents, teachers, and other advocates for young people been more concerned about the declining quality of higher education. One skill that many students lack when they arrive at college is the ability to write well. The contributors to "Teacher Commentary on Student Papers" analyze some of the cultural, social, and moral changes that have altered the way in which education is given and received, and they offer approaches that have assisted them as teachers both in evaluating the quality of student writing and guiding students to improve their writing.

Areas of expertise of the contributors include composition, cultural studies, English education, literature, writing, and rhetoric. The collection will appeal to both graduate and undergraduate students as well as to experienced and beginning teachers.

The comprehension, retention and production of idiomatic expressions is one of the most difficult areas of the lexicon for second language (L2) learners, even very advanced students, to master. This book investigates this under-researched and interesting aspect of language acquisition, shedding light on both conventional uses of idiomatic expressions as well as creative variant forms. The chapters in the book delve into different aspects of idiomatic mastery: students' comprehension of canonically used idioms in both their first and second language; the effects of multimedia and visualization techniques on learners' comprehension and retention of L2 idioms; students' misinterpretations of L2 idioms; L2 learners' comprehension of creative idiom variants and their use of idioms in free composition writing.

This comprehensive collection, comprising both theoretical and practical contributions, is unique in its focus on language learning strategy instruction (LLSI). The chapters, written by leading international experts, embrace both sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic perspectives. The issues presented include different models of strategy instruction and how they can be tailored according to context and the learners' age and attainment level. The collection will be an important resource for researchers in the field, both for its critical perspectives and its guidance on collaborating with teachers to design interventions to implement strategy instruction. It also identifies key areas for research, including the teaching of less studied groups of strategies such as grammar and affective strategies. The book will prove equally valuable to language teachers through the provision of detailed teaching materials and tasks. Those engaged in professional development, whether pre- or in-service teacher education, will find a wealth of concrete ideas for sessions, courses and assignments.

This comprehensive collection, comprising both theoretical and practical contributions, is unique in its focus on language learning strategy instruction (LLSI). The chapters, written by leading international experts, embrace both sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic perspectives. The issues presented include different models of strategy instruction and how they can be tailored according to context and the learners' age and attainment level. The collection will be an important resource for researchers in the field, both for its critical perspectives and its guidance on collaborating with teachers to design interventions to implement strategy instruction. It also identifies key areas for research, including the teaching of less studied groups of strategies such as grammar and affective strategies. The book will prove equally valuable to language teachers through the provision of detailed teaching materials and tasks. Those engaged in professional development, whether pre- or in-service teacher education, will find a wealth of concrete ideas for sessions, courses and assignments.

This volume explores the relationship between 'study abroad' and the acquisition of 'sociolinguistic competence' - the ability to communicate in socially appropriate ways. The volume looks at language development and use during study abroad in France by examining patterns of variation in the speech of advanced L2 speakers. Within a variationist paradigm, fine-grained empirical analyses of speech illuminate choices the L2 speaker makes in relation to their new identity, gender patterns, closeness or distance maintained in the social context in which they find themselves. Using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, four variable features of contemporary spoken French are analysed in a large population of advanced Irish-English speakers of French. This close-up picture provides empirical evidence by which to evaluate the wide-spread assumption that Study Abroad is highly beneficial for second language learning.

This book explores the motivations of adult second language (L2) learners to learn Italian in continuing education settings in Australia. It focuses on their motivational drives, learning trajectories and related dynamics of identity development triggered by the learning process. Central to the study are adult L2 learners, who are still a largely under-researched and growing group of learners, and readers will gain a better understanding of the learning process of this specific group of learners and ideas for sustaining L2 adult learning motivation in continuing education settings. Furthermore, the book discusses the role played by the Italian migrant community in Australia in making Italian a sought-after language to learn. It explores how a migrant community may influence motivation, and highlights and expands on the notion of L2 learning contexts, showing the existence of sociocultural environments where second language learning trajectories are affected by the presence of migrant groups.

Foreign Language Input: Initial Processing presents the most comprehensive study to date of the starting point of second language acquisition. Its focus is on the language input that learners receive and what they actually do with this input. The empirical study detailed in the book follows a methodology in which all of the language input provided to the learners from the moment of first exposure is controlled, recorded and transcribed. This input is then quantitatively compared to the learners' performance on language tasks administered at various time intervals up to 8 hours after first exposure. This in-depth analysis of the input and the learners' performance sheds light on questions still unanswered in second language acquisition literature, such as what knowledge is brought to the acquisition process and how learners use this knowledge to process new linguistic information.

This book examines the concept of authentic English in today's world, where cultures are in constant interaction and the English language works as a binding agent for many cross-cultural exchanges. It offers a comprehensive review of decades of debate around authenticity in language teaching and learning and attempts to synthesise the complexities by presenting them as a continuum. This continuum builds on the work of eminent scholars and combines them within a flexible framework that celebrates the process of interaction whilst acknowledging the complexity and individual subjectivity of authenticity. Authenticity is approached as a complex dynamic construct that can only be understood by examining it from social, individual and contextual dimensions, in relation to actual people. Authenticity is a problem not just for language acquisition but one which affects us as individuals belonging to society.

SLA literature tends to focus predominantly on what motivates language learners, but what demotivates them has not been widely discussed. This book, focusing exclusively on demotivation, will help readers to understand motivational issues from a different perspective. The aims of the work are threefold: to present the current developments of demotivation research in the field of SLA and bridge motivational theory/research and demotivation research; to promote the understanding of possible causes of demotivation; and to expand the focus of demotivation research through a reflection on current motivation theory/research and a discussion of methodological issues. The research presented in this book is situated in Japanese English-teaching contexts and will serve as a foundation for anyone wishing to better understand the causes of demotivation in SLA and to explore the topic in their own contexts.

Turn Your Child into a Great Reader!
Are you concerned about your child's reading ability? Does your child hate to read? If so, you are not alone. In fact, 38 percent of American fourth graders are unable to read at a basic level. But now you can turn your nonreader child into a reading star—in just a few short weeks.
Based on research done at Yale, this simple yet revolutionary guide merges the three essential elements of reading instruction: auditory training, phonics, and whole language. Inside, teachers and parents will find easy-to-read cartoons, games, and fun phonic sheets that will help almost any child read at or above grade level. Reading expert Peggy Wilber will show you how to help your child develop better fluency, language skills, and comprehension. You'll learn how to:
Determine your child's specific reading needs Help your child develop comprehension strategies Enhance your child's phonic skills Choose great reading selections at the right level for your child And much more!
"This is an effective, user-friendly program for parents who want to get involved in their child's literacy education." —Doug Wittenberg, executive director, Whiz Kids Tutoring Inc.
"An invaluable tool in helping teachers and parents partner in a most daunting task . . . teaching our children to read with comprehension." —John T. Jenkins, former state senator, Maine
"An invaluable tool for parents and teachers alike—a very comprehensive book!" —Dr. Barbara Swaby, director of the Graduate Reading Program, School of Education, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

This book explores the importance of cross-linguistic similarity in foreign language learning. While linguists have primarily focussed upon differences between languages, learners strive to make use of any similarities to prior linguistic knowledge they can perceive. The role of positive transfer is emphasized as well as the essential differences between comprehension and production. In comprehension of related languages, cross-linguistic similarities are easily perceived while in comprehension of distant languages they are merely assumed. Production may be based on previous perception of similarities, but frequently similarities are here merely assumed. Initially, effective learning is based on quick establishment of cross-linguistic one-to-one relations between individual items. As learning progresses, the learner learns to modify such oversimplified relations. The book describes the ways in which transfer affects different areas of language, taking account of the differences between learning a language perceived to be similar and a language where few or no cross-linguistic similarities can be established.

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Mindful of the fact that cultures are now more interdependent than ever, this book explores the development of critical cultural awareness through the processes of teaching and learning about foreign cultures. It draws upon theoretical foundations relating to inter- and intra-cultural communication from contemporary philosophical movements, namely Critical Theory and Postmodernism. The study adopts Critical Pedagogy, as it is described by Freire, Giroux and others, as the educational framework providing guidelines for taking a critical perspective towards both native and foreign cultures. It examines the critical dimension of some selected documents and models used worldwide for teaching/learning culture within foreign language classes. It includes a research project carried out among secondary school teachers of EFL in Portugal whose national syllabus suggests a critical approach to English-speaking cultures. This project aimed to illustrate how practising teachers approach foreign cultures critically, to provide some grounded theory for a definition of critical cultural awareness within foreign language/culture education, and to inspire a proposal for teacher education and development. Finally, this book submits a general proposal for the development of critical cultural awareness and intercultural communication competence among prospective and practising teachers of foreign languages/cultures.

Exam Essentials Practice Tests provide students with an invaluable combination of exam information, task guidance and up-to-date exam practice. This revised edition provides updated tests along with two completely new tests written by experts in the field and are at least the same level as the real Cambridge English exam. Students can be confident that if they do well in the Practice Tests, they'll do well in the real exam

What did eighth-century Japanese sound like? How does one decode its complex script? This book provides the definitive answers to these questions using an unprecedented range of data from the past and the present, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Sanskrit and Tibetan sources, and enables the reader to approximate the original pronunciation of Old Japanese literature.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203510720

The majority of children acquire language effortlessly but approximately 10% of all children find it difficult especially in the early or preschool years with consequences for many aspects of their subsequent development and experience: literacy, social skills, educational qualifications, mental health and employment. With contributions from an international team of researchers, this book is the first to draw together a series of new analyses of data related to children's language development, primarily from large-scale nationally representative population studies, and to bring a public health perspective to the field. The book begins with a section on factors influencing the patterns of language development. A second section explores continuity and change in language development over time. The third explores the impact on individuals with developmental language disorders (DLD), the effectiveness of available interventions, and broader issues about the need for equity in the delivery of services to those with DLD.

Build Your Competence and Confidence to Communicate Effectively with Your Spanish-speaking Patients McGraw Hill's Complete Medical Spanish goes far beyond a phrasebook or dictionary. This time-tested resource provides you with the skills and confidence to interact with Spanish-speaking patients and their families, and deliver the high quality of care they deserve. Through sample dialogs, numerous exercises, and more than 200 illustrations, this program will help you: Master a Spanish vocabulary of more than 3,000 key terms Confidently interview patients, take histories, conduct physical exams, prescribe medication, and give follow-up instructions in Spanish Become culturally competent and more aware of major differences between Latino and Anglo-American cultures and how they impact healthcare decisions. New to this edition: Sections on musculoskeletal exam, physical therapy, speech therapy, mental health, women's health, children's behavioral problems, pandemics * Questionnaires for GAD7, OASIS *Assessments for OASIS, CAGE* MoCA Test This bestselling guide is supported by bonus content in McGraw Hill's Language Lab app: Audio recordings of 40 dialogs and monologs to help improve your pronunciation and fluency 2,000 flashcards to help memorize key vocabulary Ideal for: physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses (including NPs, LVNs, LPNs, MAs), hospital technicians, physical therapists, and medical administrators with little or no Spanish-language experience.