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From the Editor: This Special Retrospective: A Century of Language Teaching and Research: Looking Back and Looking Ahead Author(s): Sally Sieloff Magnan Source: The Modern Language Journal, Vol. 84, No. 4, Special Issue: A Century of Language Teaching and Research: Looking Back and Looking Ahead, Part 1 (Winter, 2000), pp. 465-466 Published by: Wiley on behalf of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/330300 . Accessed: 24/06/2014 23:39 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 [email protected]. . 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 This content downloaded from 185.2.32.152 on Tue, 24 Jun 2014 23:39:43 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

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From the Editor: This Special Retrospective: A Century of Language Teaching and Research:Looking Back and Looking AheadAuthor(s): Sally Sieloff MagnanSource: The Modern Language Journal, Vol. 84, No. 4, Special Issue: A Century of LanguageTeaching and Research: Looking Back and Looking Ahead, Part 1 (Winter, 2000), pp. 465-466Published by: Wiley on behalf of the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers AssociationsStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/330300 .

Accessed: 24/06/2014 23:39

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 ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

Wiley and National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations are collaborating with JSTOR todigitize, preserve and extend access to The Modern Language Journal.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.152 on Tue, 24 Jun 2014 23:39:43 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

From the Editor

This Special Retrospective

A Century of Language Teaching

and Research: Looking Back and

Looking Ahead SALLY SIELOFF MAGNAN

University of Wisconsin-Madison

WHEN THE MODERN LANGUAGE JOURNAL came to be in 1916, there was only one other

journal specializing in foreign language learning and teaching: Monatshefte, which was devoted to the study of German. The MLJ thus assumed a

unique role as a generalist journal for foreign language teachers. Now 94 years later, as we enter a new millennium, the MLJ looks decidedly dif- ferent from its earliest days: It has the most recent of a series of new covers, a different page layout with double columns, a new publication style, longer articles more often with a research focus, expanded columns, advertising, a comprehensive bound and electronic index, and electronic links

through its Web page and electronic access

through Blackwell's international publishing consortia. But such changes are expected over a

century's time, and they are, at least in part, su-

perficial. What is of particular interest to this special

issue is the evolution in the Journars content. How does publication in the MLJboth reflect and

shape developments and research in Foreign and Second Language Teaching and Learning? How has past thinking led to current thought? Has the

The Modern LanguageJournal, 84, iv, (2000) 0026-7902/00/465-466 $1.50/0 ?2000 The Modern LanguageJournal

scholarly role of the MLJ changed during its 94-

year history? What directions should the Journal follow in the future? These questions are ad- dressed by the authors of the current retrospec- tive, "A Century of Language Teaching and Re- search: Looking Back and Looking Ahead," edited by James P. Lantolf.

The retrospective will appear in two issues of the Journal: the present Volume 84,4, 2000 and Volume 85,1, 2001. From an editorial perspective, these special issues are different from the others

published under my editorship. They include all solicited articles from members of the MLJedito- rial board and other leaders in the profession. In

keeping with MLJ policy, the articles were all

anonymously reviewed and have undergone sub- stantial revision based on that helpful feedback.

They are also different in scope: Their inward view appropriately uses the MLJ itself as the pri- mary reference.

In order to manage the length of the special issues, I altered standard publication style to use the MLJacronym in the reference lists, instead of the full The Modern LanguageJournal, and allowed in-text citations only for Journal pieces without

specific authors (e.g., "News and Notes," MLJ, volume, date, page). Mentions of "announce- ments" cited in this fashion refer to notes or in- formational material added by the editor to fill

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.152 on Tue, 24 Jun 2014 23:39:43 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

466

empty page space. I have not included transla- tions of the many foreign expressions cited, even though such translations are recommended by APA style. The MLJregularly published articles in a variety of languages until the editorship of Charles King, when English became the language of publication of the Journal. Even in articles in

English before that time, foreign expressions peppered the Journal. Not using translations in this retrospective is true to the cosmopolitan tra- dition of the MLJ.

In addition to these slight variations in publica- tion style within the articles, readers will notice a different balance between articles and columns in these two issues. "News and Notes" and "In Other Professional Journals" are shorter than normal and there are fewer book reviews. I de- cided to reduce space for these features in order to provide a bit more for the retrospective arti- cles. These features will return to their typical length in Volume 85, 2, 2001.

These two special issues are not the first in the

MLJ to offer a retrospective vision. The article

"Introducing a Galaxy" by Editor Zeydel (MLJ, 25, 1941, pp. 243-267) offered personal reminis- cences of previous managing editors, business

The Modern LanguageJournal 84 (2000)

managers, and NFMLTA officers. They comprise, however, the first retrospective to offer a review of

theJournals contents in terms of its contributions to the profession.

Creating this millennium MLJretrospective has been a true labor of love for Guest Editor Jim Lantolf, the authors, and, I add, for me. We have all spent more time than we thought possible examining and enjoying the 45,223 pages of the

Journal from 1916 through 1999. I thank them all sincerely, and also thank my three assistants and excellent copyeditors, Brad Berkland, James Schwarten, and Beverly Vaughn, who, in addition to their regular work, verified many references and helped finalize matters of style. Jim Lantolf had great courage in undertaking to read the entire MLJand considerable scholarly acumen in

twisting out the themes and trends for discussion in this retrospective. He has molded two unique issues that, I trust, will offer important overviews for students and young scholars and will perhaps be humbling reading for those of us who feel well versed in professional history and believe our cur- rent ideas to be on the cutting edge. I offer you these issues with enthusiasm, and with pride for the Journal and the profession that it represents.

Forthcoming in The Modern Language Journal

A Century of Language Teaching and Research: Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Retrospective Issue, Part 2

James P. Lantolf, Guest Editor

James P. Lantolf & Gretchen Sunderman. "The Struggle for a Place in the Sun. Rationalizing Foreign Language Study in the Twentieth Century"

Cheryl Brown Mitchell & Kari Ellingson Vidal. "Weighing the Ways of the Flow: Twentieth Century Language Instruction"

M. Rafael Salaberry. 'The Use of Technology for Second Language Learning and Teaching: A Retro-

spective" (Held over to Volume 85, 1 because of page limitations)

Craig Chaudron. "Progress in Language Classroom Research: Evidence from The Modern Language Journal, 1916-2000"

Judith E. Liskin-Gasparro. "Reviewing the Reviews: A Modest History of Policies and Practices"

Sally Sieloff Magnan. "MLJEditorial Policy: Reflections on the Profession, Definition of its Disciplines"

This content downloaded from 185.2.32.152 on Tue, 24 Jun 2014 23:39:43 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions