Editorial: In Honour of Jack C. Richard’s Six-decade Contribution to Language Teaching (original) (raw)
A review of "Language and Learning: An Introduction for Teaching" 4th ed. by Marie Emmitt, Linda Komesaroff and John Pollock published by Oxford University Press 2006. ISBN 9 78019555 125This book provides a foundation for understanding language in the classroom. It clearly appeals to a well-defined audience of language educators who are practising teachers of English or of another language, in any context, or involved in pre-service teacher education. The best aspects of this book are its presentation, since it is written in a clear and accessible way that makes it particularly suited to students enrolled in Education courses, perhaps at a postgraduate level, such as a Graduate Certificate. The acquisition of some notions of linguistics would undoubtedly be helpful to teachers who may have lacked grounding in language structures in their training.
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2013
As Rod Ellis states in his Preface, Craig Chaudron's book, Second Language Classroom: Research on Teaching and Learning, published in 1988, reviewed systematically the L2 classroom research up to that time. Although Chaudron updated the research community on the development of classroom research in 2001 with an article published in The Modern Language Journal, the space given to it and the relatively brief nature of the review make it necessary that a new volume presenting a comprehensive survey and critical appraisal of the research into L2 learning and teaching in classrooms be available. Ellis' new book, Language Teaching Research and Language Pedagogy (LTRALP), serves this purpose perfectly well. Anyway, it has been over 20 years since the publication of Chaudron's 1988 book, and the rapid development of the field warrants the publication of such a comprehensive book. LTRALP includes 11 main chapters in addition to a concise Preface, where Ellis explains his own theorising of language teaching. He presents two views, one is what he refers to as the 'external view' and the other as the 'internal view'. The former regards language teaching in terms of methods, approaches, materials and techniques, and the latter in terms of it being a 'process'. He posits that such a distinction is important and that the studies he has reviewed in the book can be categorised according to this typology. It is also in his Preface that Ellis highlights the two principal research paradigms: the normative paradigm, which tends to test hypotheses and the interpretive paradigm, which 'seeks to describe and understand some aspect of teaching by identifying key variables and examining how they interrelate' (p. x). Chapter 1, 'Introduction: Developments in Language Teaching Research', as the title indicates, gives the reader a panoramic view of all the topics to be considered in the book. What needs to be stressed is that Ellis has successfully defined what language teaching research is and stated his rationale for electing to focus on it in his book. Ellis begins Chapter 2, 'Methods for Researching the Second Language Classroom', with a discussion of formal and practitioner research before examining the main research traditions in relation to their theoretical underpinnings, research design, data collection and processing methods. The focus of Chapter 3, 'Comparative Method Studies', presents studies that compare different teaching methods. Historically, such studies were once popular, as the ambition of doing so was to find the best methods for effectively teaching foreign language skills. Evidently, such studies have lost their popularity and attracted much criticism because of their insensitivity to the fact that different contexts require different methods and the search for the 'best method' has proven to be futile (Kumaravadivelu, 2006). Chapter 4, 'Second Language Classroom Discourse', examines the oral discourse in L2 classrooms and its nature in the lesson process. Ellis argues that "'teaching' is discourse. observation of the discourse that arises in actual classrooms is fundamental to developing an understanding of language teaching and its relationship to learning" (p. 75). Accordingly, discourse processes become the focus of this chapter. Descriptive research discussed in this chapter range from interaction analysis to classroom discourse analysis, types of language use, conversation analysis and the L2 classroom, and scaffolding in sociocultural theory. Chapters 5 and 6 place their foci on the teacher and the learner respectively. As can be easily imagined, the teacher is the main person that contributes to classroom discourse in most cases. Therefore, studies of teacher talk are the mainstay of a chapter with the teacher as the central figure. Various research studies on teacher talk (including teacher talk and L2 acquisition, teacher talk and teacher education) and teacher questions (including teacher questioning strategies and socially-oriented studies of teacher questions) are reviewed. There have been debates about the role of the learner's L1 in the L2 classroom, and such debates are also discussed in Chapter 5 in relation to various studies on the use of the L1 in L2 classrooms and on teachers' beliefs about the use of the L1. The use of metalanguage and related research into teachers' use of metalanguage, studies on corrective feedback, and teacher cognitions about language teaching are also reviewed. Given the centrality of the learner in the classroom in the field of language teaching and learning, Ellis rightly points out the relative scarcity of research into the learner's contribution to classroom discourse. Quoting Ortega and Iberri-Shea (2005, p. 27), who point out that 'Many questions concerning second language learning are fundamentally
Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 2013
As Rod Ellis states in his Preface, Craig Chaudron's book, Second Language Classroom: Research on Teaching and Learning, published in 1988, reviewed systematically the L2 classroom research up to that time. Although Chaudron updated the research community on the development of classroom research in 2001 with an article published in The Modern Language Journal, the space given to it and the relatively brief nature of the review make it necessary that a new volume presenting a comprehensive survey and critical appraisal of the research into L2 learning and teaching in classrooms be available. Ellis' new book, Language Teaching Research and Language Pedagogy (LTRALP), serves this purpose perfectly well. Anyway, it has been over 20 years since the publication of Chaudron's 1988 book, and the rapid development of the field warrants the publication of such a comprehensive book. LTRALP includes 11 main chapters in addition to a concise Preface, where Ellis explains his own theorising of language teaching. He presents two views, one is what he refers to as the 'external view' and the other as the 'internal view'. The former regards language teaching in terms of methods, approaches, materials and techniques, and the latter in terms of it being a 'process'. He posits that such a distinction is important and that the studies he has reviewed in the book can be categorised according to this typology. It is also in his Preface that Ellis highlights the two principal research paradigms: the normative paradigm, which tends to test hypotheses and the interpretive paradigm, which 'seeks to describe and understand some aspect of teaching by identifying key variables and examining how they interrelate' (p. x). Chapter 1, 'Introduction: Developments in Language Teaching Research', as the title indicates, gives the reader a panoramic view of all the topics to be considered in the book. What needs to be stressed is that Ellis has successfully defined what language teaching research is and stated his rationale for electing to focus on it in his book. Ellis begins Chapter 2, 'Methods for Researching the Second Language Classroom', with a discussion of formal and practitioner research before examining the main research traditions in relation to their theoretical underpinnings, research design, data collection and processing methods. The focus of Chapter 3, 'Comparative Method Studies', presents studies that compare different teaching methods. Historically, such studies were once popular, as the ambition of doing so was to find the best methods for effectively teaching foreign language skills. Evidently, such studies have lost their popularity and attracted much criticism because of their insensitivity to the fact that different contexts require different methods and the search for the 'best method' has proven to be futile (Kumaravadivelu, 2006). Chapter 4, 'Second Language Classroom Discourse', examines the oral discourse in L2 classrooms and its nature in the lesson process. Ellis argues that "'teaching' is discourse. observation of the discourse that arises in actual classrooms is fundamental to developing an understanding of language teaching and its relationship to learning" (p. 75). Accordingly, discourse processes become the focus of this chapter. Descriptive research discussed in this chapter range from interaction analysis to classroom discourse analysis, types of language use, conversation analysis and the L2 classroom, and scaffolding in sociocultural theory. Chapters 5 and 6 place their foci on the teacher and the learner respectively. As can be easily imagined, the teacher is the main person that contributes to classroom discourse in most cases. Therefore, studies of teacher talk are the mainstay of a chapter with the teacher as the central figure. Various research studies on teacher talk (including teacher talk and L2 acquisition, teacher talk and teacher education) and teacher questions (including teacher questioning strategies and socially-oriented studies of teacher questions) are reviewed. There have been debates about the role of the learner's L1 in the L2 classroom, and such debates are also discussed in Chapter 5 in relation to various studies on the use of the L1 in L2 classrooms and on teachers' beliefs about the use of the L1. The use of metalanguage and related research into teachers' use of metalanguage, studies on corrective feedback, and teacher cognitions about language teaching are also reviewed. Given the centrality of the learner in the classroom in the field of language teaching and learning, Ellis rightly points out the relative scarcity of research into the learner's contribution to classroom discourse. Quoting Ortega and Iberri-Shea (2005, p. 27), who point out that 'Many questions concerning second language learning are fundamentally
Journal of Language Teaching and Research
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Journal of Language Teaching and Research ISSN 1798-4769 Volume 2, Number 4, July 2011 Contents REGULAR PAPERS Piaget's Egocentrism and Language Learning: Language Egocentrism (LE) and Language Differentiation (LD) JeongChul Heo, Sumi Han, Christopher Koch, ...
2006
This book provides a foundation for understanding language in the classroom. It clearly appeals to a well-defined audience of language educators who are practising teachers of English or of another language, in any context, or involved in pre-service teacher education. It claims to "support teachers in expanding their knowledge about language and the implications for teaching" (p. x), and to oblige them to reflect upon and evaluate their practices. The authors are very explicit about enhancing their targeted readers' "understanding of the nature and function of language and language learning in order to assist [their] decision-making in the classroom", but, as they are quick to remark, "[t]his is not a 'how to' book" (p. xi). The theoretical background informing this 4 th edition (the first edition appeared in 1991) builds on the socio-cultural constructivist view of language learning, with an emphasis on critical pedagogies, particularly apt, as we are told, to "empower" students through literacy education. The authors state quite openly that they have distilled concepts and insights from different theoretical perspectives with a view to enable individual teachers to construct their own theory. In this way, sounder theoretical knowledge should assist teachers in their practice, and strengthen their ability to explain a program to the wider community of colleagues, students and their parents. Developing an enhanced understanding of learning and appreciation of language is unarguably very valuable for teachers who, in this way, should be better equipped to manage the many contemporary and controversial issues that confront them as they carry out their professional activities. However, at times, this reviewer felt that the dilution of established linguistics theories leads to some concepts being juxtaposed without any clear articulation of their connection, and unfortunately there does not appear to be, either in the text or as an entry in the glossary or index, any discussion of the nature of constructivism, about which teachers are bound to enquire. The content is divided into three main sections: Language and Culture (Part 1), Linguistics and Language Structure (Part 2) and Language and Learning (Part 3). Each chapter within the three sections includes pre-reading activities and several suggestions for further activities and discussion. These can all be workshopped in class. Sections at the end of each chapter include a summary of the chapter and
A Brief History of Language Teaching
The purpose of this article is to give some context to the current discussions abounding in language teaching classrooms around the world. I think it is essential to judge the most recently marketed approaches in the light of what has gone before. And following Thomas Kuhn, who wrote the seminal The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, my suggestion is that we integrate and account for, rather than sweep away, past approaches.
Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods (MJLTM)
2018
In this article I explore some of the arguments pertaining to word-structure used by the nativists to bolster the idea that language is part of our genetic endowment. The focal point of this analysis will centre primarily on the arguments put forth by Steven Pinker in his various works, regarding the morphological constraints supposedly imposed on language by our genetically hard-wired language faculty. Peter Gordon’s work on English compounding will also be critically evaluated. I contend that these allegedly innate constraints are wrongly construed as such, and can easily be explained without postulating a ‘language acquisition device’, as contingent cultural and environmental factors suffice when trying to explain the morphological phenomena Pinker believes can only be explained by the innate constraints of universal grammar. Hence, this strand of the nativist’s paradigm needs to be seriously re-evaluated as the original conclusions drawn by theorists like Pinker and Gordon are f...
The Handbook of Language Teaching - Edited by Michael H. Long and Catherine J. Doughty
International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2011
work presented. A concluding critical chapter would have been welcome because there was a wide range of findings presented in this volume (and which presumably reflects the wider literature). Furthermore, in those studies that did show some form of male/female differences, none of them were able to satisfactorily speak to the issue of why this might be so. This is particularly relevant because of recent work which has argued that the notion of gender differences in language use does not hold up when subjected to empirical and scientific scrutiny (e.g. Cameron 2007). It would have been highly appropriate therefore for much more pointed and focused discussion on the impact, relevance and validity of the findings presented both in the volume and indeed in the wider literature, together with a critical discussion on the implications of these findings. Reference Cameron, D. (2007) The myth of Mars and Venus: do men and women really speak different languages? Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching Volume 14 (2023) Issue 1
Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching, 2023
JLLT Volume 14 (2023) Issue 1 https://www.journaloflinguisticsandlanguageteaching.com/published-issues/volume-14-2023-issue-1 edited by Thomas Tinnefeld I. Articles Gerald Delahunty (Fort Collins (CO), USA): Words, Pictures, and Arguments: A Relevance-Theoretic Synthesis Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 14 (1), 11-22 Abstract: Whether visual representation can function in arguments is a controversial issue. Those who claim they cannot, claim that only propositions may function thus and that as visuals cannot represent propositions, they cannot function in arguments. The current paper, invoking recent developments in Relevance Theory, demonstrates that visuals, specifically photographs, can represent propositions and can therefore function as and in arguments. The paper demonstrates that visuals also communicate more than propositions in that they provide evidence for a range of ‘impressions’ that support a ‘credal attitude’ toward the document in which they occur. Liam D. Wilson (Hong Kong S.A.R.): Key Stage 3 ELT Coursebook Speech Acts Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 14 (1), 35-57 Abstract: The area of pragmatics is an important aspect of the languages that we use in our everyday lives. Speech acts are central to this, and they are often initially presented to language learners in the coursebooks (or textbooks) they read and use during their schooling. This investigation analysed which speech acts were targeted for instruction in junior secondary 3 English language coursebooks used in Hong Kong as learners complete Key Stage 3. The pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic information presented in these coursebooks was also examined. It was found that certain speech acts (such as advice) were featured far more frequently than others (such as requests). There is also potential for improvement for future coursebooks when it comes to the pragmalinguistic (such as presenting speech acts as part of model dialogues) and sociopragmatic information (such as presenting speech acts being used in situations involving power distance or level of imposition). Therefore, this research contributes valuable findings regarding the speech acts in ELT coursebooks to the field of second language pragmatics. Esa M. Penttinen (Helsinki, Finland) & Heiner Böttger (Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany): Cross-Linguistic Influences of Learning German in Finnish and German Upper Secondary Schools Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 14 (1), 59-77 Abstract: The aim of this study is to find out what importance upper secondary school learners of German attach to the cross-linguistic influence (CLI) regarding specific aspects of German language learning in Finland and Germany. Cross-linguistic learning gives learners additional skills to learn and understand structures and words in their mother tongue, a second language or a foreign language. The Finnish students (n=100) participating in our survey spoke Finnish as their mother tongue and studied German as a foreign language. German students spoke German either as their mother tongue (n=40) or as a second language (n=60), but they studied German as a native language. The survey data consisted of students' answers to one identical question that they were asked in the school years 2017-2020: 'How does the knowledge of the languages studied at school (Swedish, English, French, Spanish, Latin – cross-linguistic learning) affect their learning of German?' Our research methods were both quantitative and qualitative. The main results showed that the positive transfer on learning German was based on the perceived (objective) similarity of languages while the negative transfer was based on assumed (subjective) similarities which were in conflict with actual (objective) differences in German language learning processes and experiences of language learning. Skills in other languages contributed to learning German, but they also interacted positively and negatively with each other's learning. Learning to learn was found to be a unifying factor in language learning. Christine Ericsdotter Nordgren & Jorunn Nilsson (Stockholm, Sweden): Meeting each other or Meeting Learning Goals –Student and Teacher Values in an Intercultural Tandem Exchange Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 14 (1), 79-105 Abstract: In this paper, the findings from a qualitative analysis of student and teacher interviews following an online Japanese-Swedish tandem exchange in 2020 will be discussed. The main aim was to explore what students and teachers had valued in the exchange and to connect these values to the theoretical principles of reciprocity and autonomy in the tandem learning model (Little & Brammerts 1996). The results show that students valued reciprocal aspects, focusing on personal peer-to-peer experiences and the opportunity for natural language use, while teachers valued linguistic development, and seemed to implicitly assume a high degree of autonomy to be in place from the start, rather than it being developed or expanded underway. The findings are viewed in the light of the students’ rather different cultural-educational frames and add to building a more global perspective on tandem exchange, which has hitherto been dominated by data from European and American contexts (Lewis & O’Dowd 2016). Philip Oghenesuowho Ekiugbo (Aba, Nigeria) & Cecilia Amaoge Eme (Awka, Nigeria): Urhobo-English Loanwords Coda Adaptation: A Constraint-Based Account Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 14 (1), 107-120 (PDF) Abstract: This study examines how codas of Urhobo-English loanwords are adapted and shows that the strategies adopted in repairing loanword coda in Urhobo are driven by syllabification constraints and universal conventions. Syllabification conditions in languages that forbid filled coda will require that all the consonant sounds in a phonological word that are to be found in the phonetic string are parsed as onsets. Assuming this is true, it has implications for loanword adaptation. Urhobo exclusively permits the open syllable type. Implicitly, all the coda elements of loanwords are likely to be licensed as onsets, which may result in a possible ‘illicit’ onset cluster given the onset condition requirement of the language. Accordingly, this study examines the attested patterns of adaptation of English coda in Urhobo loanwords and their motivations as well as implications. The discussion is built around the theory of constraints and repair strategies. II. Book Review Bernd Klewitz (Osnabrück, Germany): Inez De Florio: From Assessment to Feedback. Applications in the Second / Foreign Language Classroom. New York et al.: Cambridge University Press, 2023 (X + 267 pages) (ISBN 978-1-109-21893-1) Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching 14 (1), 123-128
This working paper is the quick result of some general considerations that went into the formulation of a book review for Wadsworths Publications. The comments herein constitute the first part of a two-part review of the text 'Language Development' (3 rd edition, by Erika Hoff: 2004). The theme of this paper is confined to remarks made in the review concerning the general tenor of pedagogical issues: while many of the remarks are in direct response to some of the prompted quotations found in the new edition, the quotes and subsequent comments, I feel, broadly speak to current issues of pedagogy I would like to advance (as opposed to taking on any substantive issues of the text). Hence, I have excluded specific comments aimed at the actual text itself. Theme I would like to narrowly restrict this working paper to a brief outline and review of the suggested treatment of the 'Dual Mechanism Model' (DMM) by which a full range of linguistic concepts can be presented to the student in an entirely exhaustive and comprehensive manner. This potential treatment of the DMM views the classic 'Skinner vs. Chomsky' debate as an all encompassing
The teaching and learning of Irish in primary school is both an important educational issue and central to the national language revitalization effort. The findings of Irishlanguage programme evaluations, therefore, are invariably scrutinized very closely by different sectors. This paper examines how the later stages of a major evaluation took account of challenging initial findings and anticipated likely misinterpretations of their implications. It documents how additional analyses, interpretative work, and careful reporting were used to provide a rich contextualization of the findings. In this way, the potential of the evaluation to generate productive debate and effective remedial action was maximized. The paper concludes with recommendations for how language program evaluators can guide the evaluation process in order to maximize contributions to critical decisions on language policy and educational practice.