Singapore, grammar, and the teaching of ‘internationally acceptable English’

English Today ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom McArthur
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Formal Grammar ◽  
Grammar Teaching ◽  
International Language ◽  
Regional Language ◽  
Teaching Grammar ◽  
Opening Address

A consideration of the place of, and options for, explicitly teaching grammar to learners of English as an international language. A development of the opening address given at a conference on the teaching of grammar at the Regional Language Centre (RELC) in Singapore in November 2003. The key issue of the conference was whether the English-language skills of Singaporean school leavers would be improved through a revival of explicit and formal grammar teaching in the Lion City's 21st-century classrooms. The paper addresses this issue in both current and historical terms, going back indeed, at the end, to the beginnings of Western-style grammar teaching among the Greeks. While doing this, however, it also considers the nature and role of what the Singaporean government takes to be the proper target for its future citizens: speaking and writing an internationally acceptable English.

scholarly journals A Critical Review of Grammar Teaching Methodologies in the Saudi Context

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Abeer Sultan Althaqafi
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Grammar Teaching ◽  
Study And Teaching ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Teaching Grammar ◽  
Changing Role

‘Grammar is the business of taking a language to pieces, to see how it works’ (Crystal, 1996, p. 6). The study of grammar has fascinated people for many years, especially in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). However, in recent years people became uncertain about its value. Consequently, some educational institutions ceased to teach it, others teach it very selectively (Crystal, 1996; Ellis, 2002). To know grammar means to know more about how to manipulate the parts of a sentence in order to provide a meaningful expression. Teaching grammar has been subjected to a tremendous change, particularly throughout the twentieth century. There has always been a development in thinking about the nature of language which has enabled people to see the point of the study and teaching of grammar. Also, there have been quite a number of adaptations of various methodologies of teaching grammar. This language component (grammar) has been always the centre of pedagogical attention. The aim of this project is to discuss the changing role of teaching grammar from a Saudi teacher’s perspective, and to explore why some Saudi EFL teachers might wish to change their approach to teaching grammar and how they might do so. In addition, the following section will try to shed light on some of the salient grammar methods throughout the field of English language teaching (ELT) and provide some implications for EFL teachers and learners.

Tauchnitz for Translators. The Circulation of English-language Literature in Finland

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 161-179
Author(s):  
Outi Paloposki
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Book History ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Book Production ◽  
German Publisher ◽  
Language Literature ◽  
Selection Of

The article looks at book production and circulation from the point of view of translators, who, as purchasers and readers of foreign-language books, are an important mediating force in the selection of literature for translation. Taking the German publisher Tauchnitz's series ‘Collection of British Authors’ and its circulation in Finland in the nineteenth and early twentieth century as a case in point, the article argues that the increased availability of English-language books facilitated the acquiring and honing of translators' language skills and gradually diminished the need for indirect translating. Book history and translation studies meet here in an examination of the role of the Collection in Finnish translators' work.

scholarly journals Improving English Language Proficiency of Graduate Students by Online Learning Apps available on Smartphone

2019 ◽  
Vol IV (III) ◽  
pp. 535-543
Author(s):  
Shahida Naz ◽  
Mamuna Ghani ◽  
Shahid Nawaz
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language Skills

The field of digital literacy is developing rapidly; consequently, the interest of researchers has also shifted now. The current research study was to explore the role of online learning Apps available on smartphones in improving graduate students' English language proficiency. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in this study. Data were collected through a questionnaire that had close-ended and open-ended questions. Questionnaires were distributed among 480 graduate-level students studying in 6 universities of Punjab, Pakistan. Data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 22.0) to find out results in the form of Percentage, Mean Score, Standard Deviation by applying the Independent Sample T-Test. The results of the study demonstrated the potential of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) as an anticipatory approach to improving English language skills. Results showed that students were pleased to use smartphones to improve their English language proficiency. They responded positively about the role of smartphones in improving English language skills. On the basis of findings, the researcher concluded that smartphone plays an important role in improving students' English language proficiency.

STEM for English Language Teaching

2020 ◽  
pp. 99-117
Author(s):  
Bilge Akıncı
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Teacher Research ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Teaching Process

This chapter presents an example of STEM and English language teaching integration. In this study, it was aimed to improve students' English language skills and increase their engagement with the appliance of STEM. In this descriptive study, a way of integrating STEM into the language teaching process was explained with an applied example. The research is of qualitative design with the implementation of action research method. As a result, the implementation improved students' language skills and gave students the chance of using knowledge of other disciplines in English courses while increasing their engagement. Additively, the implementation developed students' 21st century skills. It is thought this study can be an inspiration for English teachers to apply various approaches in their teaching processes. In addition, the study can be accepted as an example of the contribution of STEM to English language teaching process. Moreover, the study is a representation of teacher research, and this research can be assessed as an inspiration for teachers to turn their practices into research.

The role of consciousness and sub-consciousness in teaching of grammar in ELT

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-120
Author(s):  
Selin Ozdemir ◽  
Fatih Yavuz
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Grammar Teaching ◽  
High Level ◽  
Teaching Grammar ◽  
The Way

Teaching grammar has been regarded as one of the most crucial issues in the field of language. It gains its importance since it helps learners attain high level of accuracy and proficiency in language learning processes. During these processes, the way of teaching grammar differs under some certain circumstances and is divided into some sub-categories such as conscious grammar teaching and subconscious grammar teaching. In this study, a literature review of issues on the role of consciousness and sub-consciousness in teaching of grammar has been widely discussed since there are numerous views, claims and approaches related to choosing one of them as an ideal way to teach grammar. Both of them have a significant impact on the knowledge of grammar .The study revealed that neither conscious grammar teaching which lays emphasis on the structures and rules of a language nor subconscious grammar teaching without attention to explicit knowledge of grammar should be neglected. Keywords: Grammar teaching, consciousness, sub-consciousness, deductive, inductive.

scholarly journals THE TEACHING OF EFL LISTENING IN THE INDONESIAN CONTEXT: THE STATE OF THE ART

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 194
Author(s):  
Bambang Yudi Cahyono ◽  
Utami Widiati
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
International Language ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
The Status ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Teaching Of Listening ◽  
Listening Process

The status of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Indonesia necessitates the use of English native speakers' utterances as models of pronunciation and as standard of understanding messages in various contexts, be they academic or social. As recently English has developed as an international language that can be used as a means of communication between people from non-English speaking countries, the role of listening activities in the teaching of English cannot be neglected. This article highlights the importance of listening and reviews some of the issues in the research and teaching of EFL listening. It firstly presents a paradigm of the listening process, followed by a theoretical framework for teaching listening, especially in the broader context of English language teaching. It then discusses the teaching of and research on EFL listening in Indonesia. Finally, this article outlines some recommendations for more effective teaching of listening in EFL classrooms.

scholarly journals An Overview of Future Scenarios: Where Are We Going With English?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Ersilia Incelli
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
English Language ◽  
Future Scenarios ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future

This contribution aims to present an overview of future predictions about the evolution and status of the English language, in particular as a global lingua franca. The paper considers recent events such as Brexit and the emergence of new economic powers, and the fact that other widely spoken languages could compete with the hegemonic longevity of English as a lingua franca. Although English will certainly remain globally dominant for a large part of the 21st century, new geopolitical landscapes may influence the role of English both in Europe and in the world. This overview is not exhaustive in reporting all the variables in the debate, but it wishes to examine the main issues of concern in the future standing of English. 

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document