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Oleo de José Tola
From: Janet Merritt
Date: 9/14/99
Time: 4:19:30 PM
Remote Name: 204.141.177.249
Article #1: Accurate L2 Production across Language Tasks: Focus on Form, Focus on Meaning, and Communicative Control By: M. Rafael Salberry & Nuria Lopez-Ortega
This article discusses the importance of communicative ability and linguistic interaction in second language production. While attention to form has traditionally been considered to be the best way to judge accuracy in a second language, this study reveals that a functional focus on form may be an important factor that affects accuracy in L2 production. I would imagine that the concentration of this article would be on "communicative strategies."
Article #2: Conceptualizing Willingness to Communicate in a L2: A Situational Model of L2 Confidence and Affiliation. The Modern Language Journal (Winter '98) By: Peter D. Macintyre, Zoltan Dornyei, Richard Clement, & Kimberly A. Noels
Students' desire and willingness to communicate in a second language (L2) often varies from one student to the next and their willingness is not always in correlation with their ability. In this article the authors provide some of the variables (linguistic, communicative, and social) that might affect a person's "willingness to communicate". Secondly, the article provides a model which helps to describe, explain, and predict L2 communication. "Willingness to communicate" is seen as the primary goal of language instruction. Learner strategies and communicative strategies are probably the main focus of this article.
Article #3: The Role of Interaction in Native Speaker Comprehension of Nonnative Speaker Speech. The Modern Language Journal (Autumn '98)
The study presented in this article shows that interaction helps native speakers comprehend non-native speakers. These results differ from those from a study done in 1994. The article discusses various reasons for the discrepancy between the results of the 2 studies and some of the implications of the study for the classroom. It is probable that the main focus of this article is cognition and interaction.
Article #4: Learning Disabilities and Foreign Languages: A Curriculum Approach to the Design of Inclusive Courses. The Modern Language Journal (Spring '99)
The author of this article describes why it is so difficult for many students with learning disabilities to study a foreign language. He further provides strategies that teachers can use to help these learners. They are strategies that were developed after interviewing LD students. They therefore address some of their needs. It is possible that learner errors are discussed in this article, and it is very likely that learner strategies are explained. Article #5: The Social Environment of Second Language Listening: Does Status Play a Role in Comprehension? The Modern Language Journal (Spring '99)
It is argued that the social environment surrounding an interaction, in particular "status relationships", may have an effect on listening comprehension in a second language. Instead of focusing on the psycholinguistic dimension of listening, this article examines research done on the sociolinguistic dimension of listening.
Article #6: Chicano Spanish: The Problem of the "Underdeveloped" Code in Bilingual Repertoires. The Modern Language Journal (Winter "98)
This article explores the different levels and styles of language found in the oral language produced by 2nd and 3rd generation Chicano speakers. Results of different studies show that while bilingual students' oral production appears to be "less rich" than monolingual speakers of the same age, they are both considered to use a register that is in a state of development. The primary focus of this article would seem to me to be communicative styles and strategies.