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Linguistics in language teaching
Mesa-Logik,
Mctamuthematik, Metageometri, Meta-Phvsik, Metasprache. ~~~e~akr~t~k. Metamethodik und, last but not least, Mefalinguistik.
Meta-
poetbk, Neben diesen ~~e~a-B~ld~n~~~ behandelt der Verfasser zahlreiche andere Namengebungen wie die zei~l~~u~~en auf ik, die nach Kant den exakten Wissenschaften vorbehslten sein miissen, den Klimax in der Reihe -graphic, -logic, -nomie, -Sophie und zeigt - ausser der grosse Canzheiten beherrschenden Gelehrsamkeit des Verfassers -_ welche Lcistungen die kritisch forschreitende philosophische Etymologie und hisl;orische Semantik hervorbringen kann $5 5 --6X). Im Hinblick auf den Bedeutungsw,tndel hebt der Verfasser hervor, dass die Sp:&e kein lebender Organismus ist. sondern eine konventionelle Institution. Sie hat datum kein Wachstum, deren Ver%nderungen gesetzmHssig sind, sondern einen stetjgen Wandel, der die urspriingliche Bedeutung ins Gegenteil vertindert. Datum ist es geftirlich, die Wiirter nur mit ibrem gegenwgrtigen Gehalt zu nehmen. Die ‘I&mini konnen mit ihrem synchronen Gehalt leicht so eirseitig werden, dass sie keint Verbindung mit den ursptinglichen haben und dadurch unwahre Begriffskst lmmungen formen. Denn “die Sprache ist entscheidend beteiligt am Aufbau unstsrer Gegenstandsweit und bestimmt als aktiv-schopferische Kraft den Charakter u.nd das Geprlge der Wirklichkeit, mit der wir es zu tun haben” (82). I.urch seine Untersuchung hat der Verfasser gezeigt, wie ergiebig der etymologisc1 le Aspekt fiir die historische Interpretation des philosophischen Denkens ist. Abe r such fiir das Denken eines ethnischen Kollektivs ist die Arbeit aufschlussreich, Einoder rnit den Worten des Verfassers. “Man gewinnt dadurch aufschlussreiche blicl;e in volksspeiifische C enkformen und Begriffsschopfungen, wobei nicht nur die lJenotative Kcrnbedeutung, sondern such der Gesamtkomplex der konnotativen Faktoren Aufschliisse dieter Art zu gew5hren vermag” (43). Gestiitzt auf seine unbegrenzten Kenntnisse auf linguistischem, psychologischem und historischem Gebiet und auf sein reifes Urteil hat der Verfasser uns einen fesselnden, belehrenden und richtungsweisenden Essay gegeben, wofiir wir ihm sehr dankbar sind.
D.A. Wilkins, Linguistics in language teaching. Edward Arnold, viii, 243 pp. f2.50. Reviewed by J.A. van Ek, Univ. of Utrechr, The Netherlands.
London,
1972.
Linguistics in language teaching is a book written by a linguist but not for hliguists. It is meant for teachers of foreign hnguages. As such it is by no means t,lnusual. Linguists have repeatedly left their studies to try and convince language teachers of the relevance of linguistics to cla)sroom practice. The interest was who felt in all conscience that they had extremely little to II?Utllal, for Ii!rguiSZ offer to language teachers have been known to be virtually dragged into lecture halls and forced to make an effort to ‘bridge the gap’. In either case the teachers have been left unsatisfied. The over-zealous P.R. linguist proved to be unconvincing and the reluctant linguist’ utterly frustrating. In the few cases where the linguist did succeed in convincing his audience he himself was almost invariably to be appalled at the use eventually made of his recommendations. At present, most linguists and There are those ?xrbr, feel that the science teachers can be divided into two classes.
78
Reviews
of language and ihe teaching of language have little in common except the word ‘language’ and that, consequently, the linguist had better go his own way untrammelled by preoccupations with language teaching problems, whereas the language teacher should resign himself to relying exclusively on his intuition and experience. On the other hand, there are those who insist on ‘applying’ linguistics to language teaching at all costs, even when it is totally inapplicable. The latter class is strongly supported by several publishers, editors and producers of language courses, who find such slogans as ‘our course embodies the latest developments in linguistic science and psychology’ highly conducive to increased sales. There are linguists, it should be admitted, who have successfully resisted incluGnn in either class. They have produced several publications on ‘linguistics and larlguage-teaching’ and they run courses in applied linguistics. They deal with linguistics in a highly professional manner, and then they deal with language teaching methodology - ir, the best cases qually professic;nally - but just how the two are related remains a mystery. Wilkins’ book is highly unusual in that the author does not orlly proclaim his intentions to bridge the gap, but that this is actually what the whole book is about. The book’s contents appear to iully justify thea word in in its title. What is even more unusual is that in dealing with his subject the author does not revert to mere amateurism - which experience may have led one to believe was inevitable - but that he fully maintains the standards, and the detachment, of a professional scientist. The author characterises his approach as ‘taking the linguistic point first and then asking what value it has, if any, for language teaching’. That the qualification ‘if any’ is to be taken quite seriously is apparent from the restraint he exercises throughout the book. This means that those language-teachers who look to the linguist to act as a tleus ex machina and solvt their problems by presenting them with a collection of recipes for successful tes,:hing will be gravely disappointed. Those, however, who wish to think for thems:Ives, with access to ‘all the possibly relevant information, including information drdwn from linguistics’ (228). will find the book an invaluabie aid. The access is considerably facilitated by the author in that he does not assume any prior knowledge of linguistics but supplies all the essential information himself. The book is not an introduction to linguistics but the reader does get to know a good deal about it. In fact, the author has been remarkably successful in givi ng very brief but neverthr:less adequate descriptions of various schools ‘of linguistic thought. Anyone who ever finds himself in the position of being asked to explain in a few words what structuralism or generative transformational grammar ‘is all about’, will be grateful for his example. ;L ud;,r~~~cn~ wltn nlost serious linguists Wilkins maintains that no single linguistic theory is now caprble of providing a framework for language-teaching. He recognizes the fact t&at potentially most approaches to language may have sometl3ng of relevance to offer to the language-teacher. His own approach is therefore ‘deliberately eclectic’. ‘Parts of the discussion’, he says, ‘owe much to early siructuralism, Some to later developments in transformational generative linguistics, and others to Hallidayian linguistics.’ The book is divided into eight chapters, whose titles give a fair indication of its
Rctkvs
79
scope: 1. Linguistic attitudes to language; 2. Phonetics and phonology; 3. Grammar; 4. Vocabulary; 5. The social function of language; 6. The psychology 0; ianguage; 7. Error and the mother-tongue; 8. Linguistics and the scientific study of languagetcachinr. Each chapter is provided with a summary, which wil! prevent the readers ‘ram losing sight of the main issues, and at the end of the book there is a usefully (.ommented list of ‘recommended further reading’ followed by an index. Within these chapters most of the current problems in language-teaching are related to developments in Linguistics and psychology. Inevitably such topics as the veleci:ion and grading of language-teaching conlent, the use of contrasti\ e studies in language-teaching, the significance of errors, behaviourism and mental; ‘m, the use of drills, the function of pedagogical grammar, etc. etc. are dealt with, but also more specific subjects such as foreign language-teaching in primary schools, word frequzncy counts, dialect snd register, motivat:lon, and many others. Nowhere does the author start from the u prim-i assumption that linguistic scienc,e has a bc aring on teaching, but by carefully analysing each teaching problem against the background of lirguistics he often succeeds in bringing to light possible relations which havz usurl~~y been overlocked. Frequently, too, he demonstrates that direct rell:ions art nf hngluistics be>.-l,nd ‘the itlusory. In tact, ne sees iittle use fOi the ai;pliwti~~~ vI inforl nation and analyses provided in language descriptions’ (225). With reference to ore problem area he is even more categorical: ‘I do not know of ar,y criteria deriv1.d from linguistic science which can be applied scientific.ally to matters of select Ion and grading in language-teaching’ (227). The relevance of l.ingu&tics to !angu rge-teaching is much more indirect in that it may provitie the teacher with insigt ts, ‘insights ihat create a frame of mind which is conducivt: to tht: taking of sountl decisions in language teaching’. The language teacher who has read the book carefully will have gained many such insights, he will not havf: learned ‘how to teach’, but he will certainly have become a much more sophisticated teacher, mare resistent to the changing winds of fashion than many of his colleagues, less liable to f?Ll f’or cheap publicity-slogans, and better equipped to make so:Lmd decisions. It is inevitable that in a book ranging over such a large variety of subjects every readier who happens to be a specialist in one of them will fini food for criticism. One would not do justice to the book as a whole, however, by focusing on one small part of it and pointing out what one considers to be its weaknesses. It should be judged as a whole, and in spite of such weaknesses as it undoubtedly has - in sp’te, too, of rather too many printer’s errors - the reviewer has no hesitation in reLc)mmendiny the book to linguists and language-teachers alike as the most corn-prehensive and the most sensible discussion available so far of both the relevance and the irrelevance co language-teaching of linguistics in the widest sense.
Mctamuthematik, Metageometri, Meta-Phvsik, Metasprache. ~~~e~akr~t~k. Metamethodik und, last but not least, Mefalinguistik.
Meta-
poetbk, Neben diesen ~~e~a-B~ld~n~~~ behandelt der Verfasser zahlreiche andere Namengebungen wie die zei~l~~u~~en auf ik, die nach Kant den exakten Wissenschaften vorbehslten sein miissen, den Klimax in der Reihe -graphic, -logic, -nomie, -Sophie und zeigt - ausser der grosse Canzheiten beherrschenden Gelehrsamkeit des Verfassers -_ welche Lcistungen die kritisch forschreitende philosophische Etymologie und hisl;orische Semantik hervorbringen kann $5 5 --6X). Im Hinblick auf den Bedeutungsw,tndel hebt der Verfasser hervor, dass die Sp:&e kein lebender Organismus ist. sondern eine konventionelle Institution. Sie hat datum kein Wachstum, deren Ver%nderungen gesetzmHssig sind, sondern einen stetjgen Wandel, der die urspriingliche Bedeutung ins Gegenteil vertindert. Datum ist es geftirlich, die Wiirter nur mit ibrem gegenwgrtigen Gehalt zu nehmen. Die ‘I&mini konnen mit ihrem synchronen Gehalt leicht so eirseitig werden, dass sie keint Verbindung mit den ursptinglichen haben und dadurch unwahre Begriffskst lmmungen formen. Denn “die Sprache ist entscheidend beteiligt am Aufbau unstsrer Gegenstandsweit und bestimmt als aktiv-schopferische Kraft den Charakter u.nd das Geprlge der Wirklichkeit, mit der wir es zu tun haben” (82). I.urch seine Untersuchung hat der Verfasser gezeigt, wie ergiebig der etymologisc1 le Aspekt fiir die historische Interpretation des philosophischen Denkens ist. Abe r such fiir das Denken eines ethnischen Kollektivs ist die Arbeit aufschlussreich, Einoder rnit den Worten des Verfassers. “Man gewinnt dadurch aufschlussreiche blicl;e in volksspeiifische C enkformen und Begriffsschopfungen, wobei nicht nur die lJenotative Kcrnbedeutung, sondern such der Gesamtkomplex der konnotativen Faktoren Aufschliisse dieter Art zu gew5hren vermag” (43). Gestiitzt auf seine unbegrenzten Kenntnisse auf linguistischem, psychologischem und historischem Gebiet und auf sein reifes Urteil hat der Verfasser uns einen fesselnden, belehrenden und richtungsweisenden Essay gegeben, wofiir wir ihm sehr dankbar sind.
D.A. Wilkins, Linguistics in language teaching. Edward Arnold, viii, 243 pp. f2.50. Reviewed by J.A. van Ek, Univ. of Utrechr, The Netherlands.
London,
1972.
Linguistics in language teaching is a book written by a linguist but not for hliguists. It is meant for teachers of foreign hnguages. As such it is by no means t,lnusual. Linguists have repeatedly left their studies to try and convince language teachers of the relevance of linguistics to cla)sroom practice. The interest was who felt in all conscience that they had extremely little to II?Utllal, for Ii!rguiSZ offer to language teachers have been known to be virtually dragged into lecture halls and forced to make an effort to ‘bridge the gap’. In either case the teachers have been left unsatisfied. The over-zealous P.R. linguist proved to be unconvincing and the reluctant linguist’ utterly frustrating. In the few cases where the linguist did succeed in convincing his audience he himself was almost invariably to be appalled at the use eventually made of his recommendations. At present, most linguists and There are those ?xrbr, feel that the science teachers can be divided into two classes.
78
Reviews
of language and ihe teaching of language have little in common except the word ‘language’ and that, consequently, the linguist had better go his own way untrammelled by preoccupations with language teaching problems, whereas the language teacher should resign himself to relying exclusively on his intuition and experience. On the other hand, there are those who insist on ‘applying’ linguistics to language teaching at all costs, even when it is totally inapplicable. The latter class is strongly supported by several publishers, editors and producers of language courses, who find such slogans as ‘our course embodies the latest developments in linguistic science and psychology’ highly conducive to increased sales. There are linguists, it should be admitted, who have successfully resisted incluGnn in either class. They have produced several publications on ‘linguistics and larlguage-teaching’ and they run courses in applied linguistics. They deal with linguistics in a highly professional manner, and then they deal with language teaching methodology - ir, the best cases qually professic;nally - but just how the two are related remains a mystery. Wilkins’ book is highly unusual in that the author does not orlly proclaim his intentions to bridge the gap, but that this is actually what the whole book is about. The book’s contents appear to iully justify thea word in in its title. What is even more unusual is that in dealing with his subject the author does not revert to mere amateurism - which experience may have led one to believe was inevitable - but that he fully maintains the standards, and the detachment, of a professional scientist. The author characterises his approach as ‘taking the linguistic point first and then asking what value it has, if any, for language teaching’. That the qualification ‘if any’ is to be taken quite seriously is apparent from the restraint he exercises throughout the book. This means that those language-teachers who look to the linguist to act as a tleus ex machina and solvt their problems by presenting them with a collection of recipes for successful tes,:hing will be gravely disappointed. Those, however, who wish to think for thems:Ives, with access to ‘all the possibly relevant information, including information drdwn from linguistics’ (228). will find the book an invaluabie aid. The access is considerably facilitated by the author in that he does not assume any prior knowledge of linguistics but supplies all the essential information himself. The book is not an introduction to linguistics but the reader does get to know a good deal about it. In fact, the author has been remarkably successful in givi ng very brief but neverthr:less adequate descriptions of various schools ‘of linguistic thought. Anyone who ever finds himself in the position of being asked to explain in a few words what structuralism or generative transformational grammar ‘is all about’, will be grateful for his example. ;L ud;,r~~~cn~ wltn nlost serious linguists Wilkins maintains that no single linguistic theory is now caprble of providing a framework for language-teaching. He recognizes the fact t&at potentially most approaches to language may have sometl3ng of relevance to offer to the language-teacher. His own approach is therefore ‘deliberately eclectic’. ‘Parts of the discussion’, he says, ‘owe much to early siructuralism, Some to later developments in transformational generative linguistics, and others to Hallidayian linguistics.’ The book is divided into eight chapters, whose titles give a fair indication of its
Rctkvs
79
scope: 1. Linguistic attitudes to language; 2. Phonetics and phonology; 3. Grammar; 4. Vocabulary; 5. The social function of language; 6. The psychology 0; ianguage; 7. Error and the mother-tongue; 8. Linguistics and the scientific study of languagetcachinr. Each chapter is provided with a summary, which wil! prevent the readers ‘ram losing sight of the main issues, and at the end of the book there is a usefully (.ommented list of ‘recommended further reading’ followed by an index. Within these chapters most of the current problems in language-teaching are related to developments in Linguistics and psychology. Inevitably such topics as the veleci:ion and grading of language-teaching conlent, the use of contrasti\ e studies in language-teaching, the significance of errors, behaviourism and mental; ‘m, the use of drills, the function of pedagogical grammar, etc. etc. are dealt with, but also more specific subjects such as foreign language-teaching in primary schools, word frequzncy counts, dialect snd register, motivat:lon, and many others. Nowhere does the author start from the u prim-i assumption that linguistic scienc,e has a bc aring on teaching, but by carefully analysing each teaching problem against the background of lirguistics he often succeeds in bringing to light possible relations which havz usurl~~y been overlocked. Frequently, too, he demonstrates that direct rell:ions art nf hngluistics be>.-l,nd ‘the itlusory. In tact, ne sees iittle use fOi the ai;pliwti~~~ vI inforl nation and analyses provided in language descriptions’ (225). With reference to ore problem area he is even more categorical: ‘I do not know of ar,y criteria deriv1.d from linguistic science which can be applied scientific.ally to matters of select Ion and grading in language-teaching’ (227). The relevance of l.ingu&tics to !angu rge-teaching is much more indirect in that it may provitie the teacher with insigt ts, ‘insights ihat create a frame of mind which is conducivt: to tht: taking of sountl decisions in language teaching’. The language teacher who has read the book carefully will have gained many such insights, he will not havf: learned ‘how to teach’, but he will certainly have become a much more sophisticated teacher, mare resistent to the changing winds of fashion than many of his colleagues, less liable to f?Ll f’or cheap publicity-slogans, and better equipped to make so:Lmd decisions. It is inevitable that in a book ranging over such a large variety of subjects every readier who happens to be a specialist in one of them will fini food for criticism. One would not do justice to the book as a whole, however, by focusing on one small part of it and pointing out what one considers to be its weaknesses. It should be judged as a whole, and in spite of such weaknesses as it undoubtedly has - in sp’te, too, of rather too many printer’s errors - the reviewer has no hesitation in reLc)mmendiny the book to linguists and language-teachers alike as the most corn-prehensive and the most sensible discussion available so far of both the relevance and the irrelevance co language-teaching of linguistics in the widest sense.