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A study was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of a spelling instruction method using a computer spell-checking program. The proposed teaching methodology is supported by theoretical hypotheses drawn from the field of cognitive psychology associated with the learning of spelling and pedagogical principles associated with the teaching of spelling. Subjects were 20 francophone and 5 anglophone federal employees in Canada. All were pretested for French spelling problems using a standardized test. After familiarization with the operation of the computer software, students engaged in structured exercises involving editing and correction of spelling over a period of four weeks, in two sessions a week. The exercises were based on individual spelling problem patterns. Subjects were then post-tested with the same standardized instrument used for pre-testing. Results indicate that the intervention was effective for certain error types, but some inadequacies were found in the grammatical typology used and in the lexical distinctions possible with the spell-checker. The software was found to be useful for identifying subjects with a deficient strategy for correction. The method is seen as having significant potential for instructional purposes, especially with some further software development. (MSE)

Errors can be considered concrete representations of stages through which one must go in order to acquire one's native language and a second language. It has been discovered that certain errors appear systematically, revealing an approximate system, or "interlanguage," behind the erroneous utterances. Present research in second language acquisition is largely concerned with these approximate systems in order to characterize the learner's psychological process operative in the creation of such systems. Researchers intended to use the data to develop a new approach to language instruction that would facilitate the learning task and make the acquisition of the second language more efficient. The present study concentrates on: (1) an analysis of the more important theoretical and experimental studies in error analysis and the concept of interlanguage, and (2) the bearing of this research on second language instruction. Concepts related to language teaching are clarified and developed, such as selection and ordering of things to be taught, scientific versus pedagogical grammar, and communicative versus linguistic competence. The concept of teaching reduced systems based on learners' needs rather than the whole language is considered, and a proposal is made for the establishment of a reduced system that could serve as a basis for teaching methods and materials. Three specific aspects of "reduced systems" are treated: phonological, lexical, and morphosyntatic. (AMH)

A study investigated the process of learning French by Chinese students, as revealed by student errors in 48 compositions and 33 oral reports. Grammatical, or competency, errors were categorized by type and frequency. Analysis of the results shows the most frequent errors to be, in declining order of occurrence: in the use of articles; choice of words; in verbs; and in syntax. Contrastive analysis of Chinese and French revealed the origins of the errors. The number of errors was higher when the differences between the native language and the second language were greater, and most errors were the result of interference of the native language, confirming the theory that differences constitute learning barriers. It is proposed that the error patterns observed can be used in altering instruction. Further research in error pattern changes over a longer period of instruction, exhaustive analysis of each error category, and comparison of oral and written error patterns are recommended. A four-page bibliography is included, and a list of errors is appended. (MSE)

A progress report is presented of a study which applies a system of generative grammar to error analysis. The objective of the study was to reconstruct the grammar of students' interlanguage, using a systematic analysis of errors. (Interlanguage refers to the linguistic competence of a student who possesses a relatively systematic body of rules, without complete mastery of the target language.) Specifically, the research studies the way a foreign student learns French interrogative structures. The report covers the following areas: (1) a description of the system of generative grammar as applied to the syntax of simple French interrogative sentences and as used in this research; (2) syntagmatic rules; (3) transformational rules; and (4) experimental application of the reference grammar that was elaborated. In line with the primarily pedagogical objective, the experimental material was an oral test on simple French interrogatives recorded by students on the level of "francais fondamental." To illustrate the process used, the method of analyzing one student's errors is described. (AMH)

In one approach to French second-language instruction, students use free writing assignments to express themselves in their newly learned second language. The primary objective is to encourage students to use the language in a nonthreatening context; it also offers the teacher insights into student problems and needs. (MSE)

A discussion of errors made in second-language learning focuses on the control that the speaker himself exerts over mistakes and argues that this would be a useful area for further research. Implications of such analysis for second-language instruction are considered. (MSE)

A study investigated patterns of usage of French connectors (e.g., "alors,""mais,""puisque") among Chinese university students of French as a foreign language. The study arose from concern that the lack of connector usage contributed to a lack of coherence in the students' oral and written language. Subjects were 45 second- and third-year students. The language corpus was drawn from student papers and oral examinations. Analysis of the data suggests that the use of connectors varies as a function of: (1) the communicative situation; (2) the discourse competence of the interlocutors; and (3) the balance between communicative intentionality and ease of usage. It was also found that connector usage varied in oral and written usage in terms of frequency, variety, and type and in relation to the quality of expression. Usage differed in argumentation and narration, in respect to the French words' similarity to Chinese expressions, and in tests versus ordinary usage. A distinction is also made between flawed usage and deviant usage. Implications for the teaching of written and oral French are outlined, and recommendations for further research are made. A 150-item bibliography is included. (MSE)

The reflections in this paper represent part of a study of disadvantaged 13 to 15 year-old children of immigrants in Switzerland. This section deals with the process of learning spelling. In order to observe the students' learning, the same dictation was given four times during the school year. The results were studied intuitively and analytically. Four stages in the learning process were observed: (1) non-comprehension of the meaning with consequent failure to reproduce any part of the text; (2) incomplete auditory perception resulting in many errors; (3) correct perception of a sound by transcription in a code borrowed from the native language; and (4) correlation of progress in spelling and comprehension, but before the stabilization phase, mistakes occurred due to trial and error. The technical analysis of the same data indicated three stages ranging from lack of knowledge and comprehension through phonetic errors to errors in usage and grammar. Implications for foreign language instruction, grading practices, and teaching methodology follow from the conclusion that the process of learning to spell is the same in both the native and foreign language. (AMH)