Observing EFL teachers' use of formulaic language in class
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25170/ijelt.v15i1.1410Keywords:
teacher talk, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching, formulaic languageAbstract
Mastering formulaic language is said to be crucially important in second language (L2) learning as it showcases the L2 user’s different levels of competency: linguistic, psycholinguistic, and communicative. Frequent use of these formulaic sequences also makes an L2 speaker sound more native–like. In a language teaching and learning context where English is a foreign language (EFL), the language teacher is the one major resource of spoken language exposure. Therefore, the quality of teacher’s instructions in an EFL classroom clearly has effects on the learner’s language learning process. Mercer (2001) puts it, “[a]ll […] aspects of teacher’s responsibility are reflected in their use of language as the principal tool of their responsibilities” (p. 243). A great deal of research has been devoted to L2 learners and the acquisition of formulaic language, and classroom interaction, but very little attention has been paid to teachers’ use of formulaic sequences in their classrooms. This paper presents a descriptive study with analytical discussion of extracts from four video–recorded lessons conducted by school teachers in different South–east Asian countries. This small-scale study attempts to explore to what extent non–native EFL teachers are familiar with and use formulaic language during class time.
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Walsh, S. (2002). Construction or obstruction: teacher talk and learner involvement in the EFL classroom. Language Teaching Research 6(1), 3–23.
Walsh, S. (2006). Investigating classroom discourse. New York: Routledge.
Weinert, R. (1995). The role of formulaic language in second language acquisition: A review. Applied Linguistics 16(2), 180–205.
Wesche, M. B., & Ready, D. (1985). Foreign talk in the university classroom. In S. M. Gass & C. G. Madden (Eds.), Input in second language acquisition (pp. 89–114). Cambridge, MA: Newbury House.
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Wray, A. (2002). Formulaic language and the lexicon. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
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Boers, F., & Webb, S. (2018). Teaching and learning collocation in adult second and foreign language learning. Language Teaching 51(1), 77–89.
Bohn, O. (1986). Formulas, frame structures, and stereotypes in early syntactic development, Some new evidence from L2 acquisition. Linguistics 24(1), 185–202.
Brandl, K. (2008). Communicative language teaching in action: Putting principles to work. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Carpenter, H., Jeon, K. S., MacGregor, D., & Mackey, A. (2006). Learners' interpretation of recasts. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 28 (2), 209–236.
Chaudron, C. (1988). Second language classrooms: Research on teaching and learning. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Chaudron, C. H., & Richards, J. C. (1986). The effects of discourse markers on the comprehension of lectures. Applied Linguistics 7(2), 113–127.
Chen, Y., & Baker, P. (2010). Lexical bundles in L1 and L2 academic writing. Language Learning and Technology 14, 30–49.
Coulmas, F. (Ed.) (1981). Conversational Routines: Explorations in Standardized Communication Situations and Prepatterned Speech. The Hague: Mouton Publisher.
Ellis, R. (1985). Understanding second language acquisition. Shanghai, China: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Farghal, M., & Obiedat, H. (1995). Collocations: A neglected variable in EFL. International Journal of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 33, 315–331.
Foster, P. (2001). Rules and routines: A consideration of their role in the task-based language production of native and non-native speakers. In M. Bygate, M. Swain, & P. Skehan (Eds.), Researching pedagogic tasks: Second language learning, teaching, testing (pp. 75–94). London, UK/New York, NY: Longman.
Gaies, S. (1977). The nature of linguistic input in formal second language learning: Linguistic and communicative strategies in ESL teachers' classroom language. In D. H. Brown, C. A. Yorio, & R. H. Crymes (Eds.), On TESOL'77- Teaching and learning English as a second language: Trends in research and practice (pp. 204–212). Washington, DC: TESOL.
Girard, M., & Sionis, C. (2003). Formulaic Speech in the L2 classroom: An attempt at identification and classification. Pragmatics 13(2), 231–251. DOI: 10.1075/prag.13.2.02gir
Grabe, W. (2012). Applied Linguistics: A twenty-first-century discipline. In R. B. Kaplan (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Applied Linguistics (2 ed.), (pp. 1–11). DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195384253.013.0002.
Hakuta, K. (1974). Prefabricated patterns and the emergence of structure in second language acquisition. Language Learning 24(2), 287–297.
Irujo, S. (1993). Steering clear: Avoidance in the production of idioms. International Review of Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching 31, 205–219.
Katayama, A. (2007). Students' perceptions of oral error correction. Japanese Language and Literature 41(1), 61–92.
Kecskes, I. (2014). Intercultural pragmatics. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Kirkpatrick, A., & Liddicoat, A. J. (2017). Language education policy and practice in East and Southeast Asia. Language Teaching 50(2), 155–188.
Krashen, S., & Scarcella, R. (1978). On routines and patterns in language acquisition. Language Learning 28(2), 283–300.
Laufer, B., & Waldman, T. (2011). Verb-noun collocations in second language writing: A corpus analysis of learners' English. Language Learning 61, 647–672.
Liu, S. (2014). Formulaic language: An analytic review. International Journal of Linguistics and Communication 2(2), 01–11.
Long, M. (1983). Native/non-native conversation and the negotiation of comprehensible input. Applied Linguistics 4(2): 126–141.
Mackey, A., Gass, S., & McDonough, K. (2000). How do learners perceive interactional feedback? Studies in Second Language Acquisition 22(4), 471–497.
Mercer, N. (2001). Language for teaching a language. In C. N. Candlin & N. Mercer (Eds.), English language teaching in its social context: A reader (pp. 243–257). London, UK/New York, NY: Routledge.
Müller-Hartmann, A., & Schocker-von Ditfurth, M. (2004). Introduction to English language teaching. Stuttgart, Germany: Klett.
Myles, F., & Cordier, C. (2017). Formulaic sequences (FS) cannot be an umbrella term in SLA: Focusing on psycholinguistic FSs and their identification. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 39, 3–28.
Nattinger, J. R., & DeCarrico, J. S. (1992). Lexical phrases and language teaching. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Schmitt, N. (2010). Researching vocabulary: A vocabulary research manual. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Sueyoshi, A., & Hardison, D. M. (2005). The role of gestures and facial cues in second language listening comprehension. Language Learning 55(4), 661–699.
Tollefson, J. (1988). Measuring communication in ESL/EFL classes. Cross Currents 15(1), 37–46.
Walsh, S. (2002). Construction or obstruction: teacher talk and learner involvement in the EFL classroom. Language Teaching Research 6(1), 3–23.
Walsh, S. (2006). Investigating classroom discourse. New York: Routledge.
Weinert, R. (1995). The role of formulaic language in second language acquisition: A review. Applied Linguistics 16(2), 180–205.
Wesche, M. B., & Ready, D. (1985). Foreign talk in the university classroom. In S. M. Gass & C. G. Madden (Eds.), Input in second language acquisition (pp. 89–114). Cambridge, MA: Newbury House.
Wood, D. (2010). Formulaic language and second language speech fluency: Background, evidence, and classroom applications. London: Continuum.
Wray, A. (2000). Formulaic sequences in second language teaching: Principle and practice. Applied Linguistics 21(4), 463–489.
Wray, A. (2002). Formulaic language and the lexicon. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Wray, A. (2008). Formulaic language: Pushing the boundaries. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
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2020-05-30
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