Stonehenge is the ancient stone circle and a World Heritage Site. It is thought to be remains of something which was built between 3000BC and 1600 BC. The circle is regarded to have a relation to the course of the sun. It is still the mystery because it has not solved why the monument was made.Monday 22 December 2008
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is the ancient stone circle and a World Heritage Site. It is thought to be remains of something which was built between 3000BC and 1600 BC. The circle is regarded to have a relation to the course of the sun. It is still the mystery because it has not solved why the monument was made.
Discourse
Blommaert, J., 2005, Discourse: A Critical Introduction, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press
Language varieties
a) Varieties identified on the basis of the modes or channels of communication: spoken versus written, direct versus indirect (mediated) communication, etc.
b) Geographically identified varieties – ‘dialects’, regional accents
c) Socially identified varieties often called ‘sociolects’ – class varieties, professional jargons, peer-group talk, age-, gender-, or ethnically marked varieties, etc.
d) Situationally or domain-identified varieties, i.e. varieties used on particular occasion or in particular social domains, such as peer-group talk, dinner table conversations, doctor-patient interactions, classroom interactions etc.
e) Styles, genres, formats of communication – formal versus informal varieties, storytelling, jokes, casual chat, public speech, media discourse, etc.
Every chunk of real language will carry all these features at the same time.
Language varieties
a) Varieties identified on the basis of the modes or channels of communication: spoken versus written, direct versus indirect (mediated) communication, etc.
b) Geographically identified varieties – ‘dialects’, regional accents
c) Socially identified varieties often called ‘sociolects’ – class varieties, professional jargons, peer-group talk, age-, gender-, or ethnically marked varieties, etc.
d) Situationally or domain-identified varieties, i.e. varieties used on particular occasion or in particular social domains, such as peer-group talk, dinner table conversations, doctor-patient interactions, classroom interactions etc.
e) Styles, genres, formats of communication – formal versus informal varieties, storytelling, jokes, casual chat, public speech, media discourse, etc.
Every chunk of real language will carry all these features at the same time.
Friday 19 December 2008
Discourse analysis
Yule, G., 2006, The Study of Language (Third Edition), Cambridge, Cambridge University Press
The word ‘discourse’ is usually defined as ‘language beyond the sentence’ and the analysis of discourse is typically concerned with the study of language in text and conversation.
Cohesion is the ties and connections that exist within texts.
Cohesive ties
-words to maintain reference to the same people and things, such as father-he; a Lincoln convertible-that car-the convertible
-terms that share a common element such as ‘time’-once-nowadays-sometimes
-connector such as however
-the verb tenses
Coherence-everything fitting together well; something that exists in people
-You would have to create meaningful connections that are not actually expressed by the words and sentences.
A: That’s the telephone. (A makes a request of B to perform action.)
B: I’m in the bath. (B states reason why B cannot comply with request.)
A: OK. (A undertakes to perform action.)
Conversation analysis
Speech event such as debate, interview, various types of discussions
-the roles of speakers and their relationship such as friends, strangers, men, women, young, old, of equal or unequal status, and many other factors
-the topic of conversation
-in what setting it took place
Turn-taking
-rudeness (one speaker cuts in on another speaker)
-shyness (one speaker keeps waiting for an opportunity to take a turn and none seems to occur.)
-filled pauses (hesitation marker such as er, em, uh, ah, you know)
-[ is conventionally used to indicate a place where simultaneous or overlapping speech occurs.
Completion point
-Speakers can mark their turns as complete in a number of ways: by asking a question or by pausing at the end of a completed syntactic structure like a phrase or sentence.
-Other participants can indicate that they want to take the speaking turn, also in a number of ways. They can start to make short sounds, usually repeated, while the speaker is talking, and often use body shifts or facial expressions to signal that they have something to say.
Hedges can be defined as words or phrases used to indicate that we’re not really sure that what we’re saying is sufficiently correct or complete, such as sort of, kind of, as far as I know
Implicature is an additional conveyed meaning
A: Are you coming to the party tonight?
B: I’ve got an exam tomorrow.
(B’s answer means ‘No’ or ‘Probably not.’ It is not a statement about tomorrow’s activities, it involves tonight’s activities, which mean ‘study tonight.’)
The word ‘discourse’ is usually defined as ‘language beyond the sentence’ and the analysis of discourse is typically concerned with the study of language in text and conversation.
Cohesion is the ties and connections that exist within texts.
Cohesive ties
-words to maintain reference to the same people and things, such as father-he; a Lincoln convertible-that car-the convertible
-terms that share a common element such as ‘time’-once-nowadays-sometimes
-connector such as however
-the verb tenses
Coherence-everything fitting together well; something that exists in people
-You would have to create meaningful connections that are not actually expressed by the words and sentences.
A: That’s the telephone. (A makes a request of B to perform action.)
B: I’m in the bath. (B states reason why B cannot comply with request.)
A: OK. (A undertakes to perform action.)
Conversation analysis
Speech event such as debate, interview, various types of discussions
-the roles of speakers and their relationship such as friends, strangers, men, women, young, old, of equal or unequal status, and many other factors
-the topic of conversation
-in what setting it took place
Turn-taking
-rudeness (one speaker cuts in on another speaker)
-shyness (one speaker keeps waiting for an opportunity to take a turn and none seems to occur.)
-filled pauses (hesitation marker such as er, em, uh, ah, you know)
-[ is conventionally used to indicate a place where simultaneous or overlapping speech occurs.
Completion point
-Speakers can mark their turns as complete in a number of ways: by asking a question or by pausing at the end of a completed syntactic structure like a phrase or sentence.
-Other participants can indicate that they want to take the speaking turn, also in a number of ways. They can start to make short sounds, usually repeated, while the speaker is talking, and often use body shifts or facial expressions to signal that they have something to say.
Hedges can be defined as words or phrases used to indicate that we’re not really sure that what we’re saying is sufficiently correct or complete, such as sort of, kind of, as far as I know
Implicature is an additional conveyed meaning
A: Are you coming to the party tonight?
B: I’ve got an exam tomorrow.
(B’s answer means ‘No’ or ‘Probably not.’ It is not a statement about tomorrow’s activities, it involves tonight’s activities, which mean ‘study tonight.’)
Pragmatics
Yule, G., 2006, The Study of Language (Third Edition), Cambridge, Cambridge University Press
Pragmatics
-is conceptual meaning and the relationships between words; context and the communicative intentions of speakers; the study of what speakers mean or ‘speaker meaning’; is the study of ‘invisible’ meaning, or how we recognize what is meant even when it isn’t actually said or written.
Linguistic content (co-text) is the set of other words used in the same phrase or sentence
Physical context is the time and place
Deixis-physical context
-means ‘pointing’ via language, such as it, this, these boxes
-person deixis such as him, them, those students
-spatial deixis such as here, there, near that (location)
-temporal deixis such as now, then, last week (time)
Reference such as my friend, he, the blue thing, Jennifer
-When words themselves don’t refer to anything, we have to define reference as an act by which a speaker uses language to enable a listener to identify something.
Inference is additional information used by the listener to create a connection between what is said and what must be meant.
Ex. “Can I look at your Chomsky?” “Sure, it’s on the shelf over there.”
Anaphora is the first expression such as a boy
Antecedent is the second referring expression such as the boy
Presupposition is the type of action performed by a speaker, such as the function of requesting, commanding, questioning, informing, promising or statement.
Direct speech act
“Can you ride a bicycle?”-interrogative structure with the function
“You left the door open.”-declarative structure with the function of statement
Indirect speech act
“Can you pass the salt?”-interrogative structure with the function of requesting
“You left the door open.”-declarative structure with the function of requesting
Face is your public self-image.
Politeness shows awareness of and consideration for another person’s face.
Face-threatening act is a threat to another person’s self-image.
Ex. “Give me that paper!”-direct speech act with the assumption of social power
Face-saving act
Ex. “Could you pass me that paper?”-indirect speech act without the assumption of social power
Negative face is the need to be independent and free from imposition.
Positive face is the need to be connected, to belong, to be a member of the group.
“I’m sorry to bother you…; I know you’re busy, but…”-A face-saving act that emphasizes a person’s negative face will show concern about imposition.
“Let’s do together…; You and I have the same problem, so…”-A face saving act that emphasizes a person’s positive face will show solidary and draw attention to a common goal.
Pragmatics
-is conceptual meaning and the relationships between words; context and the communicative intentions of speakers; the study of what speakers mean or ‘speaker meaning’; is the study of ‘invisible’ meaning, or how we recognize what is meant even when it isn’t actually said or written.
Linguistic content (co-text) is the set of other words used in the same phrase or sentence
Physical context is the time and place
Deixis-physical context
-means ‘pointing’ via language, such as it, this, these boxes
-person deixis such as him, them, those students
-spatial deixis such as here, there, near that (location)
-temporal deixis such as now, then, last week (time)
Reference such as my friend, he, the blue thing, Jennifer
-When words themselves don’t refer to anything, we have to define reference as an act by which a speaker uses language to enable a listener to identify something.
Inference is additional information used by the listener to create a connection between what is said and what must be meant.
Ex. “Can I look at your Chomsky?” “Sure, it’s on the shelf over there.”
Anaphora is the first expression such as a boy
Antecedent is the second referring expression such as the boy
Presupposition is the type of action performed by a speaker, such as the function of requesting, commanding, questioning, informing, promising or statement.
Direct speech act
“Can you ride a bicycle?”-interrogative structure with the function
“You left the door open.”-declarative structure with the function of statement
Indirect speech act
“Can you pass the salt?”-interrogative structure with the function of requesting
“You left the door open.”-declarative structure with the function of requesting
Face is your public self-image.
Politeness shows awareness of and consideration for another person’s face.
Face-threatening act is a threat to another person’s self-image.
Ex. “Give me that paper!”-direct speech act with the assumption of social power
Face-saving act
Ex. “Could you pass me that paper?”-indirect speech act without the assumption of social power
Negative face is the need to be independent and free from imposition.
Positive face is the need to be connected, to belong, to be a member of the group.
“I’m sorry to bother you…; I know you’re busy, but…”-A face-saving act that emphasizes a person’s negative face will show concern about imposition.
“Let’s do together…; You and I have the same problem, so…”-A face saving act that emphasizes a person’s positive face will show solidary and draw attention to a common goal.
Sunday 7 December 2008
Introduction of Teacher Identity
Teaching English as an International Language: Identity, Resistance and Negotiation by Phan Le Ha (2008)
New Words
-In its heyday, the company ran trains every fifteen minutes.
-She writes under a pseudonym.
Main points
-national identity, cultural identity
-Language is a part of identity.
-Status is a part of identity.
-Morality plays an important role in all processes of teacher identity in Vietnam.
-The sense of belongings, connectedness, continuity and a coherent growth are important for identity formation.
New Words
-In its heyday, the company ran trains every fifteen minutes.
-She writes under a pseudonym.
Main points
-national identity, cultural identity
-Language is a part of identity.
-Status is a part of identity.
-Morality plays an important role in all processes of teacher identity in Vietnam.
-The sense of belongings, connectedness, continuity and a coherent growth are important for identity formation.
Complexities of Identity Formation 2
Complexities of Identity Formation: A narrative Inquiry of an EFL Teacher by Amy B. M. Tsui (2007)
Summary
Minfang is a successful English learner as well as a successful English teacher in China. There was a gap between the spirit of Communicative language teaching (CLT) and his belief. CLT was introduced from the West in order to develop Chinese communicative competence and it had a prestige as a new method. Chinese people had a difficulty with English conversation even after 900 hours of learning, though they tended to be good at writing and grammar. He could not adopt CLT because it was against the Chinese Confucian learning culture. In the class, he needed to change to different personae and to express opinions spontaneously. In addition, he did not like to do communicative activities in groups. As a result, he did not have motivation of studying CLT. He created his own learning style and succeeded in developing communicative competence, not because of CLT, but because of his hard work after class. Through his experience as a learner, he had an idea that traditional method (TM) worked better than CLT.
As a teacher, he was assigned to teach listening skills for the first two years. He gave a lot of interactive activities in his class because of the spirit of CLT. But it did not work for his students and he started to teach in his own way based on TM. His approach went well and in the third year he was assigned to teach the CLT course which was considered to be important. He kept teaching in his own approach in the CLT course and students liked it. However, from inspectors’ point of view, he was a faked CLT practitioner because he taught in eclectic approach. As his status advanced, he regarded himself as a member of the department, but he became very cautious about what he said because he was very influential both inside and outside the department.
After three year of teaching, he started a postgraduate course in EFL teaching. He found the misconception of CLT and his eclectic approach based in Confucian culture was not wrong. After he finished the sixth year, he left the institution in order to get a doctoral degree in the United Kingdom. He felt that empirical study in a classroom was important and it took time to decide how to teach suitably.
Summary
Minfang is a successful English learner as well as a successful English teacher in China. There was a gap between the spirit of Communicative language teaching (CLT) and his belief. CLT was introduced from the West in order to develop Chinese communicative competence and it had a prestige as a new method. Chinese people had a difficulty with English conversation even after 900 hours of learning, though they tended to be good at writing and grammar. He could not adopt CLT because it was against the Chinese Confucian learning culture. In the class, he needed to change to different personae and to express opinions spontaneously. In addition, he did not like to do communicative activities in groups. As a result, he did not have motivation of studying CLT. He created his own learning style and succeeded in developing communicative competence, not because of CLT, but because of his hard work after class. Through his experience as a learner, he had an idea that traditional method (TM) worked better than CLT.
As a teacher, he was assigned to teach listening skills for the first two years. He gave a lot of interactive activities in his class because of the spirit of CLT. But it did not work for his students and he started to teach in his own way based on TM. His approach went well and in the third year he was assigned to teach the CLT course which was considered to be important. He kept teaching in his own approach in the CLT course and students liked it. However, from inspectors’ point of view, he was a faked CLT practitioner because he taught in eclectic approach. As his status advanced, he regarded himself as a member of the department, but he became very cautious about what he said because he was very influential both inside and outside the department.
After three year of teaching, he started a postgraduate course in EFL teaching. He found the misconception of CLT and his eclectic approach based in Confucian culture was not wrong. After he finished the sixth year, he left the institution in order to get a doctoral degree in the United Kingdom. He felt that empirical study in a classroom was important and it took time to decide how to teach suitably.
Friday 5 December 2008
A multi-dimensional Approach
A multi-dimensional Approach to Teaching English for the World by Brian Tomlinson
English in the world, Global Rules edited by Rubdy & Saraceni (2006)
New Word
-She will be a contender for a gold medal in the Olympics.
-He was stigmatized as a coward and a liar.
-She hopes to emulate her sister’s sporting achievements.
-In the poem he laments the destruction of the countryside.
-A lot of jargon they use is unintelligible to outsiders.
-Her official designation is Financial Controller.
-Physical exercise is indispensable to young people.
-I’ve no inclinations toward becoming a teacher.
-‘Darling’ is a term of endearment.
-I feel strangely exhilarated by the event.
Summary
English as an International Language (EIL) is developing as a distinctive variety of English and English is becoming more diverse in its forms, functions and cultural associations. English speakers from different parts of the world develop two varieties of the local and the global and they switch codes due to the interlocutors and purposes for communication. EIL learners should continue to be exposed to the Lingua Franca Core (LFC) as well as different varieties of English. They should be considered to be equal and nobody should be considered to be as a good model. The best EIL teachers would be successful EIL learners. They have the ability to communicate with native speakers as well as non-native speakers.
English in the world, Global Rules edited by Rubdy & Saraceni (2006)
New Word
-She will be a contender for a gold medal in the Olympics.
-He was stigmatized as a coward and a liar.
-She hopes to emulate her sister’s sporting achievements.
-In the poem he laments the destruction of the countryside.
-A lot of jargon they use is unintelligible to outsiders.
-Her official designation is Financial Controller.
-Physical exercise is indispensable to young people.
-I’ve no inclinations toward becoming a teacher.
-‘Darling’ is a term of endearment.
-I feel strangely exhilarated by the event.
Summary
English as an International Language (EIL) is developing as a distinctive variety of English and English is becoming more diverse in its forms, functions and cultural associations. English speakers from different parts of the world develop two varieties of the local and the global and they switch codes due to the interlocutors and purposes for communication. EIL learners should continue to be exposed to the Lingua Franca Core (LFC) as well as different varieties of English. They should be considered to be equal and nobody should be considered to be as a good model. The best EIL teachers would be successful EIL learners. They have the ability to communicate with native speakers as well as non-native speakers.
Thursday 4 December 2008
Teaching EIL
Teaching EIL-Teaching International or Intercultural English? What Teachers Should Know by Nicos Sifakis (2006)
New Words
-Our objectives need to be precisely delineated.
-They embarked on a discussion even during lunch time.
-The British job of Lecturer corresponds roughly to the US Associate Professor.
-Lack of money hindered completion of the project.
-The food rendered them homeless.
-I have some appreciation of your problem.
-The idea is of paramount importance.
-She works in a predominantly male environment.
Summary
There are two perspectives in language communication; N-bound approach and C-bound approach. N-bound is a traditional and codified approach by native speakers (NSs) and is used for EIL (English as an International Language) at a classroom. C-bound approach is for many different forms of communication and many varieties of English by non-native speakers (NNSs) and is used for EIcL (English as an Intercultural Language). In real life, communication has a shift from EIL to EIcL and learners need to be exposed to NNS communication. Because of the lack of C-bound material, EIcL teachers need to create syllabus and materials.
New Words
-Our objectives need to be precisely delineated.
-They embarked on a discussion even during lunch time.
-The British job of Lecturer corresponds roughly to the US Associate Professor.
-Lack of money hindered completion of the project.
-The food rendered them homeless.
-I have some appreciation of your problem.
-The idea is of paramount importance.
-She works in a predominantly male environment.
Summary
There are two perspectives in language communication; N-bound approach and C-bound approach. N-bound is a traditional and codified approach by native speakers (NSs) and is used for EIL (English as an International Language) at a classroom. C-bound approach is for many different forms of communication and many varieties of English by non-native speakers (NNSs) and is used for EIcL (English as an Intercultural Language). In real life, communication has a shift from EIL to EIcL and learners need to be exposed to NNS communication. Because of the lack of C-bound material, EIcL teachers need to create syllabus and materials.
Wednesday 3 December 2008
Complexities of Identity Formation 1
Complexities of Identity Formation: A narrative Inquiry of an EFL Teacher by Amy B. M. Tsui (2007)
New Words
-Our interest converged on the subject.
-I felt a sense of alienation from society.
-The coach lumped the boys and girls together in one gym class.
-She’s been posted to Washington for two years.
-Fresh vegetables are scarce in winter.
-A country bumpkin is a person from the countryside who seems stupid.
-His public persona is quite different from the family man described in the book.
-They all huddled around the fire.
-I was pushed into a filthy, stinking room.
-The thief cursed the police for finding him.
-The police intensified their investigation.
-He ascribes his poverty to his parents.
-She had the implicit trust of her stuff.
-I blamed the accident on him. = I blamed him for the accident.
-She deeply ashamed of her behavior at the party.
main points
Wenger’s social theory of identity formation (1998)
Identity formation is a dual process of identification and negotiation of meanings.
Identification
-It is the investment of self in building associations and differentiations.
-It is reificative and participative belonging.
-It is relational and experiential.
-It consists of three modes of belonging.
1 engagement-roles and relations with other people in the community
2 imagination- relations to the world beyond the community
3 alignment-power through coercion and oppression and leads to dissociation and alienation
Negotiation of meanings-the production and adoption of meanings
The ELT landscape in China
-The necessity of English communication with foreigners has increased dramatically since 1978.
-University graduates were found to be highly competent in writing and grammar, but poor in speaking and listening.
-Most middle-school graduates found it hard to converse in simple English even after 900 hours of learning.
-A large number of native speakers of English have been recruited from the West.
-In 1985 the Ministry of Education recommended CLT for nation-wide adoption. CLT was considered a new method and approach as opposed to traditional approach (TM) although Chinese learners have different cultural background from western culture.
Minfang’s EFL Learner Identities
-Most of the teachers had never found themselves in a situation where they had to use English for daily conversational.
-Students needed to change to different personae.
-Instantaneous oral participation in class required students to express opinions spontaneously without careful thinking.
-This activity went against the Chinese culture, which attaches a great deal of importance to making thoughtful remarks and not babbling before one has thought things through.
-He believed strongly that he could develop communicative competence through daily interaction with his friends.
-His English movement comes from his hard work after class, not from CLT class.
-He thinks TM is no worse than CLT.
Minfang’s EFL Teacher Identities
First 2 years
-He was assigned to teach listening skills which was considered auxiliary.
-He had an implicit belief that TM worked better.
-He did not know how to deal with the intimate relationship with his students.
-He became a popular teacher, but he didn’t want to be because it is perceived as a teacher of little substance and one who has nothing but relationships to win the students’ hearts. Too friendly, undermine authority
After the first 2 years
-He was assigned to teach the CLT course.
-He was a faked CLT practitioner and he taught in eclectic approach.
-In MA, he found the misconception of CLT.
-In PhD, he felt that the teacher’s lived experience in the classroom was the best guide for pedagogical decision-making.
Conclusion
-Competence and legitimacy of access to practice are important for identity formation as well.
-Participation is central to identity formation.
-The interplay of identification and the negotiability of meanings could generate identity conflicts. These conflicts could lead to new relations with members of the community, new ownership of meanings or identities of marginality, disengagement and nonparticipation.
New Words
-Our interest converged on the subject.
-I felt a sense of alienation from society.
-The coach lumped the boys and girls together in one gym class.
-She’s been posted to Washington for two years.
-Fresh vegetables are scarce in winter.
-A country bumpkin is a person from the countryside who seems stupid.
-His public persona is quite different from the family man described in the book.
-They all huddled around the fire.
-I was pushed into a filthy, stinking room.
-The thief cursed the police for finding him.
-The police intensified their investigation.
-He ascribes his poverty to his parents.
-She had the implicit trust of her stuff.
-I blamed the accident on him. = I blamed him for the accident.
-She deeply ashamed of her behavior at the party.
main points
Wenger’s social theory of identity formation (1998)
Identity formation is a dual process of identification and negotiation of meanings.
Identification
-It is the investment of self in building associations and differentiations.
-It is reificative and participative belonging.
-It is relational and experiential.
-It consists of three modes of belonging.
1 engagement-roles and relations with other people in the community
2 imagination- relations to the world beyond the community
3 alignment-power through coercion and oppression and leads to dissociation and alienation
Negotiation of meanings-the production and adoption of meanings
The ELT landscape in China
-The necessity of English communication with foreigners has increased dramatically since 1978.
-University graduates were found to be highly competent in writing and grammar, but poor in speaking and listening.
-Most middle-school graduates found it hard to converse in simple English even after 900 hours of learning.
-A large number of native speakers of English have been recruited from the West.
-In 1985 the Ministry of Education recommended CLT for nation-wide adoption. CLT was considered a new method and approach as opposed to traditional approach (TM) although Chinese learners have different cultural background from western culture.
Minfang’s EFL Learner Identities
-Most of the teachers had never found themselves in a situation where they had to use English for daily conversational.
-Students needed to change to different personae.
-Instantaneous oral participation in class required students to express opinions spontaneously without careful thinking.
-This activity went against the Chinese culture, which attaches a great deal of importance to making thoughtful remarks and not babbling before one has thought things through.
-He believed strongly that he could develop communicative competence through daily interaction with his friends.
-His English movement comes from his hard work after class, not from CLT class.
-He thinks TM is no worse than CLT.
Minfang’s EFL Teacher Identities
First 2 years
-He was assigned to teach listening skills which was considered auxiliary.
-He had an implicit belief that TM worked better.
-He did not know how to deal with the intimate relationship with his students.
-He became a popular teacher, but he didn’t want to be because it is perceived as a teacher of little substance and one who has nothing but relationships to win the students’ hearts. Too friendly, undermine authority
After the first 2 years
-He was assigned to teach the CLT course.
-He was a faked CLT practitioner and he taught in eclectic approach.
-In MA, he found the misconception of CLT.
-In PhD, he felt that the teacher’s lived experience in the classroom was the best guide for pedagogical decision-making.
Conclusion
-Competence and legitimacy of access to practice are important for identity formation as well.
-Participation is central to identity formation.
-The interplay of identification and the negotiability of meanings could generate identity conflicts. These conflicts could lead to new relations with members of the community, new ownership of meanings or identities of marginality, disengagement and nonparticipation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
