This thesis will concentrate on previous and current learning methods of French as a foreign language. This understanding will help to plot the rapidness of evolution within foreign-language teaching. In conjunction with this evolution the thesis will also give a brief overview of the exponential development of technology. It will focus specifically on how technology created a new way of learning. The aim of this thesis is to depict whether there is a need to adapt the French language classroom with the current learning technologies in use. The thesis will also show that since people are different and since each generation differs in its learning preference, that technology can help to bridge the ever-growing gap between the learner and the learning material since people learn work on different ways. According to the proof that generations differ from each other and that the current young generation is referred to as the Net-generation, it will be clearly shown that this generation prefers to learn with technology. The correct mix of learning methods, learning technologies and different learning styles is one that is humanly impossible to achieve in a conventional way. It is on this basis then that the thesis will show that the correct e-learning technology should form an integral part of the new language classroom as it is the only solution to ensure that learning stays current and adaptive, and that it keeps on playing an important part in the evolution of mankind. Furthermore, a brief study will be conducted on the current and prospective use of e-learning technologies in the French language classroom of South Africa. / Thesis (MA (French))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Modern European Languages / unrestricted

The importance of China as world power has led to a growing interest in and demand for learning Mandarin as a Foreign Language (MFL) worldwide. This study focuses on a comparative study of the provision of MFL in higher education in China and in South Africa. A conceptual framework was provided by examining theories of language policy planning and second language or foreign language acquisition as well as an overview of MFL provision in Chinese and South African higher education. MFL policy in China is characterised as a diffusion policy driven by economic globalisation, „soft power‟ and culture, and supported by legislation, funding and implementation. In South Africa, no specific policy underlies MFL, although motivation for MFL provision is given through strategic economic relations between South Africa and China. Against this background, a mixed-method inquiry conducted in two phases examined MFL at three purposefully selected universities in China and at the four university providers in South Africa. Phase One investigated lecturer perceptions of MFL tuition using a researcher-designed questionnaire; Phase Two explored student experiences of MFL using semi-structured interviews with purposefully selected MFL students in both countries. Findings indicated similarities in lecturer profile and differences in lecturers' perceptions regarding institutional support for MFL, particularly in institutions offering degrees in MFL, the MFL classroom environment and the curriculum. Student participants identified differences in studying MFL abroad in China and at home in South Africa in terms of class scheduling, peer and tutor support, student enrolments and design of educational programmes. All language skills were acquired more rapidly in the immersion learning context in China than in the first language dominant South African context, especially communication skills. Similarities were demonstrated in the emotional dimension of learning a new language, the main needs of MFL students, the opportunity to use or speak Mandarin, motivation to study Mandarin, and the challenges characteristic of Mandarin as a language. Recommendations for improvement of practice were given in terms of immersion context creation, opportunity to learn support, Confucius Institute facilities and exchange programmes for study abroad, lecturer and tutor improvement, and the establishment of an incentive to learn mechanism in South Africa. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)

The focus of dissertation belongs to the field of learning Czech as a foreign language and deals with the acquisition of pragmatic competence of non-native speakers. Whereas this is a broad area, the work concentrates on speech act request. The aim is to describe how two students of Czech acquired the speech act during a one-year intensive course. The theoretical background is given in Chapter I. The term Interlanguage Pragmatics is introduced to Czech readers. The Chapter further maps what the pragmatic research of non- native speakers generally deals with and what questions it asks. Attention is paid to possible methods for collecting data for research of pragmatic competence, what kinds of errors non- native speakers usually make, what environment is suitable for the acquisition of pragmatic competence or how individual differences among students affects pragmatic competence. In the second chapter attention is paid to speech act request. We present an overview of major longitudinal studies. On the bass of this longitudinal research it was found that students of English go through five stages of development when acquiring request. The stages are presented here in detail. In the research part of the dissertation the investigation of how two non-native speakers (a student from Taiwan and a student...

Public libraries are facing a great challenge to succeed in serving their increasingly diverse communities. This thesis focuses on the acquisition of foreign-language books in public libraries and attempts to address the question whether libraries have special strategies to select and acquire foreign-language books. Particular attention is paid to fiction, the main genre offered by public libraries. To help answer the thesis question, the author compares the acquisition strategies of the Municipal Library of Prague and the Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin using structured interviews with the key persons responsible for the acquisition of foreign-language books. As a background, the author provides a literature review of foreign-language materials in public libraries and specifically, the acquisition strategy for those materials (i.e. including case studies, research projects and trends from the Czech Republic, the US, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Denmark and Netherlands). This knowledge foundation is considered in the comparison of the two libraries and their acquisition strategies. The comparative study confirms the trends highlighted in the literature review, such as outsourcing, approval plans and gifts as common ways of acquiring foreign- language literature. This thesis further contributes...

The importance of China as world power has led to a growing interest in and demand for learning Mandarin as a Foreign Language (MFL) worldwide. This study focuses on a comparative study of the provision of MFL in higher education in China and in South Africa. A conceptual framework was provided by examining theories of language policy planning and second language or foreign language acquisition as well as an overview of MFL provision in Chinese and South African higher education. MFL policy in China is characterised as a diffusion policy driven by economic globalisation, „soft power‟ and culture, and supported by legislation, funding and implementation. In South Africa, no specific policy underlies MFL, although motivation for MFL provision is given through strategic economic relations between South Africa and China. Against this background, a mixed-method inquiry conducted in two phases examined MFL at three purposefully selected universities in China and at the four university providers in South Africa. Phase One investigated lecturer perceptions of MFL tuition using a researcher-designed questionnaire; Phase Two explored student experiences of MFL using semi-structured interviews with purposefully selected MFL students in both countries. Findings indicated similarities in lecturer profile and differences in lecturers' perceptions regarding institutional support for MFL, particularly in institutions offering degrees in MFL, the MFL classroom environment and the curriculum. Student participants identified differences in studying MFL abroad in China and at home in South Africa in terms of class scheduling, peer and tutor support, student enrolments and design of educational programmes. All language skills were acquired more rapidly in the immersion learning context in China than in the first language dominant South African context, especially communication skills. Similarities were demonstrated in the emotional dimension of learning a new language, the main needs of MFL students, the opportunity to use or speak Mandarin, motivation to study Mandarin, and the challenges characteristic of Mandarin as a language. Recommendations for improvement of practice were given in terms of immersion context creation, opportunity to learn support, Confucius Institute facilities and exchange programmes for study abroad, lecturer and tutor improvement, and the establishment of an incentive to learn mechanism in South Africa. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)