Wiley National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations
Wiley National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations
Wiley National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations
Swales
Review by: Mark O. James
The Modern Language Journal, Vol. 76, No. 2 (Summer, 1992), pp. 238-239
Published by: Wiley on behalf of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/329786 .
Accessed: 24/02/2015 16:49
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Wiley and National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations are collaborating with JSTOR to
digitize, preserve and extend access to The Modern Language Journal.
http://www.jstor.org
TheModernLanguageJournal76 (1992)
238
cision. Whenever possible, theyorganize those
decisions in enumerated liststo facilitatecomprehension and theirimplementation.
The range of topics examined in thisbook is
staggering. The authors treat everythingincluding an historicalperspective on teaching;
how language works;theirphilosophyon reading; reading skillsand strategies;propositional
analysis; testing;text choice (literaryand nonliterary);and instructionalstrategies,as well as
others. Each of these topics representsan area
of researchwithitsown set of terminology.The
uninitiatedreader may at times falteron the
number of new terms needed to comprehend
the material, which in turn would make the
reading somewhat tedious.
While the thoroughnessof the book alone is
enough to recommendit,thereare twofeatures
thatdeserve special mention.First,the bibliography contains nearly five hundred entries.
While not all citationsare of empirical studies,
the bibliographyis a valuable resource forboth
those who conduct research on second language reading and those who wishto read more
about the topic. Second, the authors included a
chapter in which they literallyrespond to the
questions theyhave been asked about theirapproach to reading. If one were to utilize this
book in a course, it would be helpful to keep
the contentsof thischapter in mind forit helps
illuminate readers' potential reactions to the
content.
Reading for Meaning is the result of many
yearsof experience teachinglanguage and integrating reading into a language curriculum.
Swaffar,Arens,and Byrneshave giventhe professiona valuable resource book.
JAMES F. LEE
University
ofIllinois
239
Reviews