Zev bar-Lev was professor of linguistics at San Diego State University, where he has taught since 1979. Previous teaching positions include Syracuse University and the University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel. His education includes the AB in Russian literature at Columbia College (1963), the MA in Slavic linguistics at Cornell University (1965), graduate studies at Moscow State University (1967-68), and the PhD in general linguistics at Indiana University (1969).

He has published research in several fields of theoretical linguistics (semantics, pragmatics, functional syntax, discourse theory, morpho-phonology, linguistics and computers) on (and in) several languages (Hebrew, Russian, and others), but has focused more recently on applied linguistics, developing and presenting his "heretical" method for faster teaching of confident abilities in foreign language: "Sheltered Initiation Language Learning" teaches, in the first place, confident speaking abilities; it also includes the "glyph" system for reading Hebrew and Arabic, "skip-reading" and "skip-listening" for reading and listening comprehension, "asymmetric sequencing" for teaching grammatical and other contrasts in any language (including Chinese tones), and other special innovations. (See 'Sheltered-Initiation Language Learning', APPLIED LANGUAGE LEARNING vol.4 #1-2, 1993, and other publications.

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