International Journal of Applied Linguistics

Leung, Constant

doi: 10.1111/j.1473-4192.2005.00084.xpmid: N/A

The advent of the concept of communicative competence in English Language Teaching (ELT) over thirty years ago signalled a shift from grammar‐based pedagogy to Communicative Language Teaching. It was generally accepted that, in addition to grammar rules, language teaching needed to take account of social context and social rules of use. The concept of communicative competence, initially developed for ethnographic research, appeared to offer an intellectual basis for pedagogic broadening. The transfer of this concept from research to language teaching has, however, produced abstracted contexts and idealized social rules of use based on (English language) native‐speakerness. Drawing on recent work in the fields of World Englishes, English as a lingua franca and Second Language Acquisition, this article argues that it is imperative for ELT to take notice of real‐world social, cultural and language developments in contemporary conditions and to re‐engage with a set of reformulated ethnographic sensitivities and sensibilities.

Brumfit, Christopher; Myles, Florence; Mitchell, Rosamond; Johnston, Brenda; Ford, Peter

doi: 10.1111/j.1473-4192.2005.00085.xpmid: N/A

This article explores the development of criticality in Modern Languages graduates in the UK. It is based on a larger research project investigating the development of criticality in (initially) two academic disciplines through the detailed analysis of a large corpus of qualitative data. This includes student interviews, teacher interviews, classroom observation, written and oral work produced by students, documentation produced for courses, and policy statements from national and institutional sources. This article focuses on the relationship between the Modern Languages curriculum, particularly language teaching and learning, and the development of criticality. Drawing upon evidence from the qualitative data, it outlines the ways in which the courses can be seen to contribute to the development of wider social competences. Finally it discusses the distinctiveness of the contribution to criticality development provided by the cross‐cultural and cross‐linguistic experience of Modern Languages undergraduates.

Swain, Merrill; Lapkin, Sharon

doi: 10.1111/j.1473-4192.2005.00086.xpmid: N/A

In 1997 Swain and Johnson defined immersion as one category within bilingual education, providing examples and discussion from multiple international perspectives. In this article, we review the core features of immersion program design identified by Swain and Johnson and discuss how current sociopolitical realities and new research on second language learning serve to update and refresh the discussion of these features. One feature identified by Swain and Johnson is that “the classroom culture is that of the local L1 community”. The dramatic increase in ethnic diversity in Canada's urban centres calls into question the notion of a monolithic culture in the school community. A second example concerns the use of the L1 in the classroom: while a central feature of immersion education is the use of the L2 as medium of instruction, new research suggests that allowing a judicious use of the L1 on the part of learners may be warranted. The article concludes with suggestions for building on multiple L1s in the immersion classroom.

Lindemann, Stephanie

doi: 10.1111/j.1473-4192.2005.00087.xpmid: N/A

This study attempts to discover how native US English speakers construct social categories for people outside the US. A close look at one group's belief system provides insights that can be used in addressing linguistic discrimination, with information on how varieties and features of varieties are perceived. Here 79 US undergraduates labeled maps with descriptions of English spoken by international students, and 208 rated the English of students from 58 countries. Familiarity and socio‐political relationships with countries of origin appeared to play a role in responses. Evaluation was often central to description, with a category of stigmatized, often “broken”, English used for all non‐native speakers except perhaps (Western) Europeans. Salient subgroups were: negatively evaluated “Chinese” English, somewhat negatively evaluated “Mexican” English, and “harsh” and “guttural” Russian English. Respondents had competing frameworks for classifying Indian and German English. A model of these overlapping categories and implications for addressing linguistic prejudice are suggested.

Lind, Marianne

doi: 10.1111/j.1473-4192.2005.00088.xpmid: N/A

The article presents an analysis of the means and processes through which an aphasic speaker with severe limitations in spontaneous speech production is able to make a self‐initiated, substantial contribution in interaction with a non‐aphasic interlocutor. The analytical process is based on the principles of conversation analysis, and the study draws on insights from interactional linguistics. The analysis illustrates the aphasic participant's ability to make himself understood by using several methods of communication and by situating his parts of the contribution in relation to the sequential context. Hence, the analysis reveals an essential form of orderliness and complementarity in what may initially seem like a disorderly piece of interaction. The analysis highlights the need for systematic, functional assessment of communicative and linguistic abilities in aphasia, a perspective with possible consequences for the training and practice of speech and language therapists.

Wodak, Ruth

doi: 10.1111/j.1473-4192.2005.00089.xpmid: N/A

doi: 10.1111/j.1473-4192.2005.00090.xpmid: N/A

Books reviewed: Richard Watts and Peter Trudgill (eds.), Alternative Histories of English. Alison Sealey and Bob Carter, Applied Linguistics as Social Science (Advances in Applied Linguistics Series). Rod Ellis, Task‐based Language Learning and Teaching. Barbara Seidlhofer (ed.), Controversies in Applied Linguistics.