First Published in 1991. This is Volume 22 of the Source Books on Education series. Politically speaking the study of foreign languages and cultures helps maintain a strong competitive position in an increasingly global marketplace. It was hard to imagine in 1957 that the launching of a Soviet rocket would push the United States into its greatest investment ever in foreign language education. As American policy-makers attempted to play catch-up with our brothers and sisters behind the iron curtain, this country infused federal dollars into extensive foreign language teacher training and the creation of new foreign language educational programs. As suddenly as federal support was given, however, so was it taken away; and its withdrawal was responsible for one of the darkest periods in the history of foreign language education in America. Drawing on the expertise of a number of the nation's most experienced and creative foreign language educators, this volume, edited by Ellen S. Silber, addresses some of the crucial problems we face in foreign language education today.

Foreign language learning is a progressive endeavor. Whatever the method, the learner should advance from one point to another, constantly improving. Growing proficiency entails growing language content. Content is complex, displaying many dimensions. Syllabus designers, textbook authors, and teachers often struggle with the monitoring of content. Computer-assisted systemization helps to handle it in a manageable framework. Besides inventorying content, it ensures more balanced selections, calculated progression, and controlled reiteration of previously learned material. It gauges the usability of authentic material in relation to the level attained. During the teaching process, it allows the instant selection of items needed for a communicative situation, focus on forms, or particular exercises. This book first describes the theoretical background for systemization, including a historical overview, with special attention to the Common European Framework and the new Profiles and Referentials. Next the practical steps for computer-assisted implementation with examples taken from French and English, but applicable to any language.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of Hispanic applied linguistics, allowing students to understand the field from a variety of perspectives and offering insight into the ever-growing number of professional opportunies afforded to Spanish language program graduates. The goal of this book is to re-contextualize the notion of applied linguistics as simply the application of theoretical linguistic concepts to practical settings and to consider it as its own field that addresses language-based issues and problems in a real-world context. The book is organized into five parts: 1) perspectives on learning Spanish 2) issues and environments in Spanish teaching 3) Spanish in the professions 4) the discourses of Spanish and 5) social and political contexts for Spanish. The book’s all-inclusive coverage gives students the theoretical and sociocultural context for study in Hispanic applied linguistics while offering practical information on its application in the professional sector.