Language description plays an important role in language learning/teaching because it often determines what specific language forms, features, and usages are taught and how. A good understanding of language description is vital for language teachers and material writers and should constitute an important part of their knowledge. This book provides a balanced treatment of both theory and practice. It focuses on some of the most important and challenging grammar and vocabulary usage questions. Using these questions as examples, it shows how theory can inform practice and how grammar and vocabulary description and explanation can be made more effective and engaging.
Part I describes and evaluates the key linguistic theories on language description and teaching. Part II discusses and gives specific examples of how challenging grammar and vocabulary issues can be more effectively described and explained; each chapter focuses on one or more specific grammar and vocabulary. An annotated list of useful free online resources (online corpora and websites) for grammar and vocabulary learning and teaching, and a glossary provide helpful information.
Author(s): Dilin Liu
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2013
Language: English
Pages: 271
City: London
Cover......Page 1
Half Title......Page 2
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
Table of Contents......Page 8
List of Figures......Page 14
List of Tables......Page 16
Preface......Page 18
Acknowledgments......Page 22
1.1 Introduction......Page 24
1.2 The purview of language description......Page 25
1.3 The importance of language description......Page 29
1.4 Principles for language description......Page 31
Questions for consideration and/or discussion......Page 34
Part I: Foundations: Key Theories and Approaches to
Language Description......Page 36
2.1.1 Overview......Page 38
2.1.2 Influence of prescriptivism on language teaching......Page 40
2.2.1 Overview......Page 42
2.2.2 Influence of structuralism on language teaching......Page 44
2.3.1 Overview......Page 46
2.3.2 Influence of generativism on language teaching......Page 49
Questions for consideration and/or discussion......Page 53
3.1 Sociolinguistics: an overview of communicative competence and speech act theory......Page 56
3.1.2 Speech act theory......Page 57
3.1.3 Pragmatics across languages......Page 59
3.2.1 Language as a system of choice......Page 61
3.2.2 Semantic functions of language......Page 62
3.2.3 Register......Page 63
3.3.1 From form-focused to meaning/communication-oriented instruction......Page 64
3.3.2 Teaching pragmatics......Page 67
3.3.3 Discourse analysis and discourse grammar......Page 69
3.3.4 Register and semantic function analysis......Page 70
Questions for consideration and/or discussion......Page 71
4.1.1 Language is symbolic and conceptual in nature......Page 74
4.1.2 Meaning is fundamental to language......Page 76
4.1.3 Language is composed of symbolic units/constructions......Page 78
4.1.4 Language knowledge is usage-based......Page 82
4.2.1 Cognitive grammar and construction Grammar......Page 84
4.2.3 Focusing on embodied experience and conceptualization: use of visuals......Page 86
4.2.4 Description of constraints on the generalizability of constructions......Page 88
Questions for consideration and/or discussion......Page 90
5.1.1 What is corpus linguistics?......Page 92
5.1.2 Types of information corpus queries may generate and the procedures used......Page 93
5.2 Significant contributions of corpus linguistics to the study of language......Page 97
5.3 Impact of corpus linguistics on language teaching......Page 100
5.3.1 Corpus use in the classroom......Page 101
5.3.2 Using corpora for curriculum design and material development......Page 104
Questions for consideration and/or discussion......Page 105
Part II: Putting Theory to Practice: Striving for Enhanced
Language Description and Explanation......Page 108
6.1 What information should be covered in teaching a word?......Page 110
6.2 Describing/teaching spelling, pronunciation, and morphological rules......Page 111
6.3 Defining/teaching parts of speech......Page 112
6.3.1 The concept of parts of speech and categories involved......Page 113
6.3.3 Structure (sentence position)-based definition method......Page 114
6.3.4 Conceptualization/construal-based definition
method......Page 115
6.3.5 Using an eclectic method suited to learners’ proficiency level and needs......Page 116
6.4 Collocation/semantics/register: other key issues to be addressed......Page 117
6.5.1 Adverb or noun: the case of home in go home and more......Page 118
6.5.2 Count vs. non-count nouns......Page 119
Suggested teaching activities......Page 122
7.1.1 Sentence structure types: a quick overview......Page 126
7.1.2 Tasks and processes involved in sentence structural analysis......Page 127
7.2 Established practices for describing/analyzing sentence structures......Page 130
7.2.1 How pedagogical structural analysis is generally done......Page 131
7.2.2 The use of technical terms......Page 132
7.3.1 Describing and explaining different verb structures......Page 134
7.3.2 Participles/participle phrases and clause structure: form/ function......Page 136
7.3.3 Describing/explaining the dummy it and related sentence structures......Page 137
Suggested teaching activities......Page 138
8.1 English tense and aspect system: an overview......Page 142
8.2 Established useful practices for describing/teaching tenses/aspects......Page 145
8.3.1 Differentiating closely related tenses/aspects: simple past vs. present perfect and present perfect vs. present perfect progressive......Page 148
8.3.2 Tense/aspects in conditional clauses: unusual tense/aspect use 1......Page 150
8.3.3 Progressive for temporariness/other effects: unusual tense/ aspect use 2......Page 152
8.3.4 Present or past tense? Difficult tense/aspect issues in academic writing......Page 153
Suggested teaching activities......Page 155
9.1.1 English articles and their semantic functions......Page 158
9.1.2 Type of noun and the use of article......Page 160
9.1.3 Specific or non-specific: the crucial complex question in article use......Page 161
9.1.4 The four major non-generic uses of the......Page 162
9.2 Established useful practices in describing/teaching English articles......Page 163
9.3.1 Tailoring the explanation of the generic use of articles to learner needs......Page 164
9.3.2 Teaching the non-generic uses of the with the right sequence/ strategies......Page 165
9.3.3 Explaining the motivations of cultural and unusual uses of articles......Page 166
9.3.4 Corpus and discourse-based approach to a/an vs. the......Page 167
Suggested teaching activities......Page 168
10.1 Overview: basic information, importance, and difficulties......Page 170
10.2 Established useful practices for describing and teaching prepositions......Page 172
10.3.1 At/on/in:
Their usage/motivations as spatial/temporal location terms......Page 173
10.3.2 Closely related and contrasting pairs of prepositions: pattern finding......Page 176
10.3.3 Using embodied experience/construal to explain difficult usage issues......Page 178
Suggested teaching activities......Page 180
11.1.1 Placement of the direct and indirect objects......Page 184
11.1.2 Placement of the object in separable phrasal verbs......Page 186
11.2.1 Patterns of permissible subject/object omissions in English......Page 187
11.2.3 Teaching object-deletion to Chinese ESL/EFL learners......Page 190
11.3 Explaining/teaching the passive voice with new insights......Page 193
Suggested teaching activities......Page 195
12.1 Polysemy......Page 198
12.1.2 Figurative meanings in polysemy: the role of metaphorical process......Page 199
12.2 Synonymy......Page 200
12.2.1 Differentiating synonyms......Page 201
12.2.2 Conventional usage and construal: key factors in synonym use......Page 203
12.3.1 Practices for teaching polysemes......Page 204
12.3.2 Practices for teaching synonyms......Page 206
12.4.1 Cognitive analysis of metaphorical bases in polysemy learning......Page 207
12.4.3 Culturally-loaded words......Page 208
Suggested teaching activities......Page 210
13.1.1 What constitutes a collocation?......Page 214
13.1.2 Collocations are generally motivated: a new finding......Page 215
13.2.1 Noticing and memorizing......Page 217
13.2.2 Pattern finding......Page 218
13.3.1 Using corpus queries for effective learning......Page 219
13.3.2 Using cognitive analysis in exploring motivations in collocations......Page 220
13.3.3 Exploring motivations of four everyday verb–noun collocations......Page 221
13.3.4 Exploring motivations in verb–preposition collocations......Page 222
13.3.5 Exploring motivations in collostructions......Page 223
13.3.6 Caveats and challenges......Page 224
Suggested teaching activities......Page 225
14.1.1 Idioms......Page 228
14.1.2 Phrasal verbs......Page 231
14.1.3 Formulae/lexical bundles......Page 232
14.2 Explaining/teaching idioms and phrasal verbs with new insights......Page 233
14.2.2 Exploring semantic (especially metaphorical) motivations......Page 234
14.2.3 Studying culture-specific motivations: comparison and contrast......Page 235
14.2.4 Learning the origins of idioms and sorting idioms by source......Page 236
14.2.5 Encouraging appropriate and also creative use of idioms/idioms......Page 237
14.3.1 Direct, focused learning/teaching......Page 238
14.3.2 Focusing on use and functions......Page 239
Suggested teaching activities......Page 240
Annotated List of Free Online Resources for Grammar/Vocabulary
Learning/Teaching......Page 242
Glossary......Page 246
References......Page 250
Author Index......Page 262
Subject Index......Page 266
