ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE -- ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- Chapter 1 BRAIN PLASTICITY AND PHONETIC TRAINING FOR ENGLISH-AS-A-SECOND-LANGUAGE LEARNERS -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- 1. NEURAL COMMITMENT: THE PROFOUND EFFECTS OF LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE -- 1.1. Two Basic Perceptual Phenomena -- 1.2. Effects of Linguistic Experience -- 1.3. ESL Learning Under the Influence of Native-Language-Neural-Commitment -- 1.4. The Role of Phonetic Learning in Language Acquisition -- 1.5. Relationship between Speech Perception and Production -- 2. NEUROPLASTICITY: THE ABILITY FOR THE BRAIN TO REINVENT ITSELF IN LANGUAGE LEARNING -- 2.1. Phonetic Training: Methods, Findings and Remaining Issues -- 2.2. Imaging and Neural Markers of Plasticity -- 3. FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE: SOFTWARE SHOWCASE TOWARDS OPTIMIZATION OF PHONETIC TRAINING -- 3.1. The /R-L/ Training Software -- 3.2. SAT (Speech Assessment and Training Program): New Software Development for ESL Learners -- 4. IMPLICATIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH AND ESL EDUCATION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 2 EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF SIMILAR AND SAME TASK REPETITION ON LEARNERS' SECOND LANGUAGE PRAGMATIC PROFICIENCY -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- STRUCTURED INPUT TASK -- TASK DEMAND -- INPUT-BASED INTERVENTION STUDIES OF L2 PRAGMATICS ACQUISITION -- THE PRESENT STUDY -- Participants -- Target Structures -- Instructional Treatments -- Testing Instruments and Procedures -- RELIABILITY -- Validity -- RESULTS -- DISCUSSION -- CONCLUSION -- NOTE -- REFERENCES -- APPENDIX: EXAMPLES OF REFERENTIAL AND AFFECTIVE ORIENTED ACTIVITIES -- Chapter 3 IMPROVING ASIAN STUDENTS' TEXT COMPREHENSION AND INTERPRETATION THROUGH READER RESPONSE -- READER RESPONSE THEORIES -- TEXTUAL THEORIES OF RESPONSE -- EXPERIENTIAL THEORIES OF RESPONSE -- PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES OF RESPONSE.

SOCIAL THEORIES OF RESPONSE -- CULTURAL THEORIES OF RESPONSE -- RESEARCH ON LITERATURE-BASED INSTRUCTION -- CURRENT TRENDS IN LITERATURE-BASED RESEARCH -- Interpretation Over Comprehension -- A Variety of Disciplines -- A Broadened Literary Canon -- IMPLICATIONS FOR LITERACY EDUCATION -- The Use of Culturally Congruent Literature -- Children's Literature for Adult Literacy Education -- REFERENCES -- Children's Books Cited -- Chapter 4 USING AUTHENTIC NEWSPAPER TEXTS IN TEACHING INTERMEDIATE VOCABULARY -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- Importance of Vocabulary Acquisition in ESL/EFL -- Authentic vs. Pedagogical Materials in ELT -- Textbooks in ELT -- Authentic Materials in ELT -- METHODOLOGY -- The Participants of the Study -- Research Design -- Instruments -- Instructional Procedure -- The First Week -- The Second Week -- The Third Week -- Data Analysis -- RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION -- Evaluation of Research Results -- CONCLUSION -- Implications and Suggestions for Further Study -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 5 SPEAK THE REAL: NEWS ARTICLES AS MAJOR SOURCE FOR ORAL COMPETENCE -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- METHODOLOGY -- Participants -- Process -- Instruments -- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 6 EFL/ESL TEACHING IN CHINA: QUESTIONS - QUESTIONS - QUESTIONS# -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- 1. WHY SHOULD 1.3 BILLION CHINESE LEARN ENGLISH? -- 2. HOW CAN EFL/ESL TEACHING IN CHINA BE CALLED A SUCCESS? -- The Kindergarten Experience -- The Middle School Experience -- The College Experience -- 3. IS EFL/ESL TEACHING IN CHINA A CASE OF THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND? -- 4. CAN ANYONE REALLY BE EXPECTED TO ACQUIRE ENGLISH IN THIS HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT? -- 5. WHAT IS THE CHINESE ENGLISH STUDENT'S FAVORITE WINE? -- 6. IS IT INEVITABLE THAT ALTHOUGH WE TEACH THEM ENGLISH, THEY WILL LEARN CHINGLISH? -- 7. WHAT'S IN A NAME?.

8. WHAT IS WORSE: STUDENTS WHO CHEAT THE SYSTEM OR A SYSTEM THAT CHEATS THE STUDENTS? -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 7 IMPROVING READING SKILLS FOR ESL LEARNERS USING SOUNDSPEL# -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- METHOD -- Participants -- Design -- Materials and Apparatus -- Procedure -- RESULTS -- Tests -- Training -- DISCUSSION -- AUTHOR NOTES -- APPENDIX A. EXCERPT OF SOUNDSPEL VERSION OF A PASSAGE USED IN THE EXPERIMENT -- APPENDIX B. PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENT -- APPENDIX C. PASSAGE READ ALOUD BY PARTICIPANTS LEARNING SOUNDSPEL SYSTEM -- REFERENCES -- INDEX -- Blank Page.