MSI Press Blog

  Excerpt from Achieving Native-Like Second Language Proficiency PREFACE Contrary to popular thought in some quarters, learning languages to very high levels of proficiency, i.e. those very close to those of native speakers, is, indeed, possible. Not only is it possible, it is done on a routine basis by a number of learners, not only in other countries, but in the United States , as well. True, the numbers in the United States are not large, but they are sufficient enough to show that it can be done here, as well as in countries of Europe , Eurasia , Latin America , and elsewhere. Further, there are some very skilled teachers quietly producing these levels of proficiency also on a regular basis.       The problem is not the ability to teach to native-like levels of proficiency in direct instruction programs or the ability to learn to native-like levels of proficiency, given the appropriate help and experience. Rather, the problem lies in the all-too-pervasive mindset that high leve

  Factor 1: Childhood Experiences         One somewhat surprising statistic that emerged from the interviews was that all of those learners who had reached level 4 had become acquainted with foreign languages very early in their life. That does not necessarily mean that they began studying those languages. In many cases, languages other than their first language were used in the family or community, and while the language learners themselves may not have picked up any of those languages well enough to speak them, they did gain one very important understanding that stood them in good stead throughout their days of subsequent language study: Languages are not exotica but rather everyday tools for communication. The venues in which multiculturalism was met by the interviewees in this study included home, community, school, and work. Any one of these venues seemed to be sufficient to trigger the concept of “language as a tool” or “language as communication” that created the facility ultim

  Available right now on preorder from Amazon : Book description: The many and varied demands of the digital age require cadres of professionals capable of collaborating effectively and engaging globally in the world's languages and cultures. This volume represents a collection of classroom- and field-tested practices used to prepare global professions to the highest standards of proficiency in their languages in order to meet these global challenges. Culled from faculty of government, private, and state educational programs, these "practices that work" offer the language practitioner a selection of "recipes" for helping language learners attain near-native professional proficiency. The techniques and practices offered in these pages can be incorporated and used in virtually any curriculum or learning environment and are highly learner centered. The path to native-like proficiency in world languages can be demanding, but this volume can help make it more product

    Book review from Issue 8 of the  Journal for Distinguished Language Studies -- REVIEW   Mastering Italian through Global Debate Authors : Marie Bertola, Sandra Carletti Publisher: Georgetown University Press, 2023 Summary Mastering Italian Through Global Debate (2022) is divided into six chapters, each one focusing on a different topical subject relevant to the current global debate. The first chapter centers on ecology. It includes a reading exercise and an argumentative essay on plastic and its environmental and economic impact. The second chapter addresses the topic of globalism versus localism, with a focus on the Covid-19 pandemic’s effect on both phenomena. In chapter three, the conversation brings attention to the themes of economic inequality, self-sufficiency, and redistribution of wealth. Chapter four takes on immigration, multiculturalism, and diversity, while chapter five addresses the question of security and individual freedom, and the clash between mass surv

  The following excerpt comes from Practices That Work (Thomas Garza). Introduction             This volume represents a revised and expanded version of the 2008 first edition titled What Works: Helping Students Reach Native-Like Second-Language Competence and includes, in addition to all of the excellent original contributions, [1] eleven new pieces from language practitioners with experience in Language Flagship Programs and/or university programs with established records of success in bringing learners to Professional-level proficiency in languages. Like its predecessor, this new edition seeks to offer the reader a broad selection of tested, successful models of practice from classrooms in both government and post-secondary institutions that have attested results of professional proficiency among its learners. Its intended audience is the language practitioner who understands that the goal of attaining high-level proficiency is possible and is looking for new or additional wa

  Excerpt from How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately: Foreign Language Communication Tools  Definition of Communication Rules  Yet everything discussed above—the acquisition of the language, the knowledge of the language—have nothing to do with communication tools.  Communication tools are the combination of skills which allow a speaker to use most effectively the level of foreign language in his or her command.  To make this definition more clear, let us imagine two groups of students with the same level of knowledge of foreign language. Let us imagine also that these students have come to the host country and are capable of observing the quality of their communication with native speakers. We do not have to have any great imagination to know that the members of the two groups will be quite different one from another and in striking ways. Everyone has seen representatives of each of these groups. So, let’s see what happens with these two groups when they are “i

  Book review from Issue 8 of the Journal for Distinguished Language Studies -- REVIEW   Dornyei, Zoltan; Mentzelopoulos, Katarina Lessons from Exceptional Language Learners Who Have Achieved Nativelike Proficiency: Motivation, Cognition and Identity Channel View Publications 2022   Series Editors: Sarah Mercer, Universitat Graz, Austria and Stephen Ryan, Waseda University, Japan Psychology of Language Learning and Teaching: 18 Bristol; Jackson: Multilingual Matters, (2022)   Natalia Lord, Learning Consultation Service, School of Language Studies, Foreign Service Institute (retired)   SUMMARY   This book analyzes the findings of a research project that Zoltan Dornyei, a prolific and esteemed contributor to the field of language learning, designed for his students at the University of Nottingham, when his course, the Psychology of Bilingualism and Language Learnin g , moved online. This is unfortunately a posthumous publication, for Zoltan Dornyei passed away earlier this fall. His co-