Description
Book SynopsisHow can theories of language development be understood and applied in your language classroom?By presenting a range of linguistic perspectives from formal to functional to cognitive, this book highlights the relevance of second language acquisition research to the language classroom. Following a brief historical survey of the ways in which language has been viewed, Whong clearly discusses the basic tenets of Chomskyan linguistics, before exploring ten generalisations about second language development in terms of their implications for language teaching. Emphasising the formal generative approach, the book explores well-known language teaching methods, looking at the extent to which linguistic theory is relevant to the different approaches. This is the first textbook to provide an explicit discussion of language teaching from the point of view of formal linguistics.
Trade ReviewAn important resource for anyone who takes language teaching and acquisition seriously. -- Joyce Bruhn de Garavito, The University of Western Ontario This is an authoritative synthesis of the main streams of thought in linguistics, second language acquisition research and language teaching methodology. The author provides the reader with a rarely encountered integration of the practical with the theoretical, making it an invaluable guide for applied linguists and language teaching practitioners alike. -- Professor Mike Sharwood Smith, Chair of Languages, Heriot-Watt University An important resource for anyone who takes language teaching and acquisition seriously. This is an authoritative synthesis of the main streams of thought in linguistics, second language acquisition research and language teaching methodology. The author provides the reader with a rarely encountered integration of the practical with the theoretical, making it an invaluable guide for applied linguists and language teaching practitioners alike.
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: Historical Overview: Language & Language Teaching; Chapter 3: Language as a Biological Property; Chapter 4: Language as Tool for Communication; Chapter 5: Implications for Language Teaching; Chapter 6: Approaches to English Language Teaching; Chapter 7: Putting Theory into Practice; Chapter 8: Practice and Practices: Responding to Student Needs; References; Bibliography; Glossary
