Emphases in Second Language Research and Teaching

            Foreign language learning and teaching refer to the teaching or learning of a nonnative language outside of the environment where it is commonly spoken. A distinction is often made between ‘foreign’ and ‘second’ language learning. A second language implies that the learner resides in an environment where the acquired language is spoken.  Nowadays, there is a need to fit into a world increasingly globalized, in which communication and foreign languages have more importance than some years ago. The English language is, nowadays, the language of international communication. Taking this into account, foreign language lessons acquire, nowadays, more significance than in the past. For that reason, English teaching should not be limited to the study of its structure, but to the use of the language in different contexts in order to be adapted to this new reality.  These days, we can observe how English language lessons try to fulfill the students’ needs for communication using different strategies and methodologies. This article provides some theoretical background about the methodologies which help students raise their English language level as well as their academic results.