article Closed Access EN 1997-07-01

Language play, language learning

ELT Journal, Vol. 51, Issue 3, pp. 224–231 (1997)

University of London, Oxford University Press (United Kingdom), Institute for Literature, Triangle : Action, Discours, Pensée politique et économique

DOI: 10.1093/elt/51.3.224

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Abstract

This article challenges the widespread belief in contemporary ELT that students should be exposed to authentic or natural language, and that such language is primarily focused on making meaning and achieving practical purposes. Firstly, it is argued that the terms ‘authentic’ and ‘natural’ are vaguely defined, but that if they refer to language used between native speakers and by children acquiring a first language, this is not necessarily the best type of language use for foreign learners. Secondly, it is argued that a good deal of authentic or natural language is playful, in the sense of being focused upon form and fiction rather than on meaning and reality.

Topics

EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning 0.77

Field: Arts and Humanities · Subfield: Language and Linguistics

Keywords

Linguistics,Comprehension approach,Psychology,Second-language attrition,Language assessment,Universal Networking Language,Language acquisition,Language transfer,Language pedagogy,Language education