English as an International Language Guide

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Call Numbers | Databases | Current Reference Works and Other Books | Historical Works | Other Resources for Learning English | TOEFL Preparation | Web Sites | Selected Journals

The University of Illinois contains many useful resources to facilitate academic study and research in the teaching and learning of English as a second, foreign, or international language. These resources are primarily located in either the Education and Social Science Library (ESSL) or the Modern Languages and Linguistics Library. The Curriculum Collection in ESSL maintains a small number of textbooks and classroom resources to aid the beginning English learner, particularly those in the elementary or secondary grades. These materials are located under the call numbers 428.24, 428.34, or 428.64, preceded by the prefixes TEXT or CURR. If you need assistance locating these materials, please ask at the reference desk. In addition, the Division of English as an International Language (DEIL) maintains a specialized library facility. DEIL’s ESL Curriculum Library, located in Room 3046 of the Foreign Languages Building, is an excellent source of information on English language education. It houses a curriculum collection, 2,650 books, select current journals, and a collection of videotapes. This facility’s materials are most often used by international students learning English and DEIL professors in developing course materials. More information about the DEIL ESL Curriculum Library can be found at http://www.deil.uiuc.edu/about/facilities.html.

The Division of English as an International Language is located in Room 3070 of the Foreign Languages Building at 707 South Mathews in Urbana.

• PHONE: 333-1506
• URL: http://www.deil.uiuc.edu/
• EMAIL: deil@uiuc.edu

Questions? Ask-A-Librarian.

Call Numbers

If you would like to browse the shelves of a library for materials on this topic, the call number range which will yield the best results is the 420s and 428s. Again, the Education and Social Science Library and the Modern Languages and Linguistics Library are the most appropriate facilities. However, the Undergraduate, Communications, and English Libraries may house some materials. In addition, older materials are often located in the Main Library Bookstacks (Main Stacks) on the Library’s second floor. The following is a breakdown of the linguistics and English language call number range.

Databases

In addition to the numerous general and social science-related databases, the following resources provide citations to articles and other items on English as an international language:

• ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center): A vast educational database containing citations to over 950,000 journal articles and documents: 1966-Present.
• Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA): Contains article abstracts from approximately 2,000 linguistics serials): 1973-Present
• Modern Language Association International Bibliography (MLA): 1921/1925-Present
• Education Full-Text: 1983-Present.

Current Reference Works and Other Books (Since 1990)

General Resources

Resources for Learning

Resources for Teaching

Historical Works (Prior to 1990)

General Resources

Resources for Teaching

Other Resources for Learning English

DEIL offers several programs to teach or improve the English language skills of international students at UIUC. The Classroom Research Lab, the Division’s computer lab, is located in Room G-52 in the Foreign Languages Building (Phone: 333-1506). This state-of-the-art facility contains 16 student workstations, audio tapes and audio books, videos, and computer applications. DEIL also maintains an Intensive English Institute (IEI) offering non-credit courses in English for academic and specific purposes. For information on the IEI call 333-6598 or stop into their office at 1205 West Nevada in Urbana. DEIL also offers ESL courses for currently enrolled students. Finally, the Phonetics and Phonology Laboratory (Room G-90, FLB) contains tape-recording and computer equipment for phonetics research. Call 244-3063 for more information on the Phonetics Lab.

TOEFL Preparation Materials
In addition to DEIL’s ESL Curriculum Library and the above mentioned facilities, the International Student and Scholar Services may provide some support to those preparing for the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL. Although it does not offer direct assistance with the exam, the office allows students to meet other international students, answers general questions and concerns, provides counseling and advising services, workshops, seminars, and orientation activities, and maintains an OISA newsgroup. Its website provides helpful information, links to useful web resources, and explains English language learning opportunities at UIUC.

Students can pick up a copy of the TOEFL Bulletin in the Testing Office in the Turner Student Services Building (610 East John Street, Champaign). The Bulletin provides registration information and information on how to receive free test preparation materials. The TOEFL homepage is online at http://www.toefl.org/index.html . The site is searchable and is divided into three sections:

• Test Takers
• Academic Institutions
• English Language Teachers

Books for TOEFL Preparation

Sound and Video Recordings for TOEFL Preparation

Web Sites

Most of these sites offer general information as well as pages for both English teachers and students of the language. Therefore, teachers and learners are encouraged to visit each of the sites. Nonetheless, the Web sites are arranged into categories indicating their primary focus. The sites contain insight into English-language topics, activities for learning the language, general interest reading in English, teaching tools such as lesson plans, related links to additional sites, and much more.

For English Learners

• Volterre-Fr English & French Resources - Information on listservs for English learners.
• Word2Word - Online language courses from Rivendell International Communications.
• Activities for ESL Students - Quizzes, tests, exercises and puzzles to help practice English as a Second Language. This is a project of The Internet TESL Journal and is fueled by thousands of contributions from ESL teachers.
• Interesting Things for ESL Students - A compilation of quizzes to help with English usage, American slang and proverbs, pronunciation, etc.

For English Teachers

• Modern Languages and Linguistics Library - This UIUC library is helpful for any research in the area.
• ESL Lessons: One World-One People - A listing of activities designed for an ESL classroom.
• Illinois Association for Multilingual Multicultural Education - "A professional organization that promotes high quality educational policies and practices for linguistically and culturally diverse students including English language learners."
• Linguist List - Contains over 100 ESL/EFL links arranged by students, teachers, programs, and software. Available in 5 languages.
• CARLA: Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition - From the University of Minnesota, CARLA's missions is to study multilingualism and multiculturalism, to develop knowledge of second language acquisition, and to advance the quality of second language teaching, learning, and assessment.

For Both Teachers and Learners

• Online Directory of ESL Resources - Presented by the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs.
• SOON Online Magazine - News, advice, and resources from around the world.
• TESL EJ - An online journal for teaching English as a second language or foreign language.
• EduFind.com - Digital Education Network’s English teaching and learning section.
• Rong-Chang Li's English as a Second Language - Provides a comprehensive list of web resources and tools for individuals learning the English language. Subjects include reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and business English.
• Linguistics Funland TESL - Offers a variety of resources to aid ESL/EFL teachers in finding jobs, penpals, and opportunities for education and professional development. Also includes information about educational opportunities for ESL/EFL students.
• ilovelanguages website - Formerly known as the Human-Languages Page is provided by the WWW Virtual Library and provides links to over 1,800 international sites covering all languages. The English sites include vocabulary training, language lessons, and translating dictionaries. (Available in 33 languages)
• CLNET's Bilingual Educational and ESL Listed Sites - A list of bilingual educational and ESL sites provided by Chicana/o Latina/o Communities through Networking (CLNET).
• TESL/TEFL/TESOL/ESL/EFL/ESOL Links from the Internet TESL Journal - Links to culturally relevant learning tools (money flashcards, body language, daily conversation), grammar, idioms, slang, online textbooks and dictionaries, vocabulary, and writing.
• Dave’s ESL Café - Designed as a place for ESL/EFL learners and teachers to meet and share information about English, culture, TOEFL, international teaching experiences, and many other ESL related topics.

Selected Journals