Indonesian JELT: Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching
Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching (IJELT) (pISSN: 0216-1281) is a peer-reviewed journal in which submitted articles will go through a blind review process. IJELT is published twice a year in May and in October every year. IJELT is indexed in google scholar. IJELT is devoted to the teaching and learning of English in national and international scope. It strongly encourages submission of unpublished research articles on topics that are highly relevant and contribute significantly to issues in ELT in general, which may also include: English language education Applied English linguistics in language education English language education and culture English language education and evaluation English language education and globalization English language education and technology
Conversational dominance and politeness strategy on a political discussion among peers
This paper aims to explore the differences of female and male linguistic features analyzed using the conversational dominance analysis and the common politeness strategies when discussing Kabinet Indonesia Maju (Onward Indonesia Cabinet). The participants were a group of Master Degree students consisting of two male and two female students. The data was gathered by conducting a focus group discussion, then the verbal utterance was orthographically transcribed. The writer used quantitative and qualitative methods to analyse the data. The finding showed that other-oriented interruption was the most-occurred dominance, in which both male and female participants interrupted the conversation to exhibit the agreement, support the speakers, and reinforce the flow of the conversation. The female participants did self-oriented interruption more than male participants to ask questions. This finding conversed Lakoff (1973), Coates (1991), and West and Zimmerman (1987)’s female language features in which the female participants stood for their own opinion, shared their critic, gave suggestions, and asked questions. This study found that the participants showed mostly positive politeness strategy which they agreed to each other's statement, supported one another's idea, and contributed new topics to the discussion to maintain the discussion. This paper concluded that gender is not the only factor determining linguistics features and politeness strategy in this discussion among peers. The other possible influencing factors were the participants’ relationship closeness, different cultural backgrounds, topic mastery, and their equal education level.
Copyright (c) 2021 Indonesian JELT: Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching
The persuasive language of online advertisements featuring social media influencers on Instagram: A multimodal analysis
The popularity of online advertising is increasing alongside the rising number of internet users, and one of the online platforms to advertise one’s products or services is Instagram. On Instagram, many advertisers opt for one viable alternative way of advertising: social media influencers. They typically hire popular figures to endorse their products, and the influencers will then post an image and a caption, persuading their followers to buy the products. It is intriguing to investigate how they make use of images and texts in Instagram to strengthen their persuasive act. Therefore, this paper aims to present a multimodality analysis where both the linguistic features and the images of Instagram advertisements of influencers are explored in relation to their communicative intent. The sample was built up from 24 Instagram ads posted by 13 Indonesian influencers. Several salient lexicogrammatical features were pinpointed, and the images were analyzed following the social semiotic approach called visual grammar. The findings revealed that the Instagram ads demonstrated vast amount of colloquial and informal language use, which was intended to establish familiarity with the audience. The image analysis also showed that influencers had roles to display themselves in the image to build credibility and trust as credible reviewers. The study has contributed to explicating how diverse language use on the internet is vis-à-vis traditional media, particularly the discourse of influencer advertising.
After class: Students’ social use of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)
International students have become an integral part of universities worldwide. Despite a number of studies on the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) in an academic context, there are still comparatively fewer investigations into students’ social use of ELF outside of the classroom. This study investigated language use and self-perceived identities of international students using ELF in social interaction. Qualitative data was gathered via semi-structured interviews with eight students attending English-medium programs at a private university in Taiwan. Consistent with previous findings, analysis shows that the students perceived themselves as English language users as well as learners. But within relationships of friendship, they used ELF in very individualized and pragmatic ways. They also took guidance from each other and those perceived as more proficient models of English. The study adds valuable insight into self-reports of student social ELF use. As such, pedagogical implications and suggestions are discussed.
Reflections on translanguaging practices in English education in Japan
This study is a reflection on critical incidents (Tripp, 1993) addressing the use and promotion of a learner’s first language (L1) and cultural knowledge as linguistic and cognitive resources for learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Japan. Translanguaging, which was first introduced by Cen Williams (1994) to refer to the practice of interchanging languages in the classroom for productive use, was investigated to provide a deeper understanding of what seems to be relatively common practice across Japan. This paper outlines to fit with the broader study area of a larger collaborative inquiry involving university-based researchers providing English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in Japan. This paper outlines the background of English education in Japan and considers its current state to study possible additions and changes in the broader curricula.
Teaching – research nexus in higher education management: An overview
This paper aims to critically review the nexus between teaching and research in higher education. This study investigates the issue such as why universities and policy makers are calling for stronger integration of teaching and research in spite of a considerable tensions among researchers, scholars, and all the concerned with regard to teaching-research nexus. The researcher argues that symbiotic relationship between teaching and research should be perceived and treated accordingly by academics, students, and policy makers to fully promote quality education in terms of creating new knowledge and contributing to the local and global community. The research approach adopted in this study includes views, reviews, and critics put forward in different literature. The findings suggest that the nature of teaching-research relationship is not always a clear cut one. The paper concludes that despite varied relationship between teaching and research, a positive nexus between teaching and research is more common and therefore, teachers, academic staffs, and policy makers should pay a critical attention to a symbiotic relationship between teaching and research.
Language of sexuality of gay men in pursuing hookups through online dating applications
This paper looks at the language of sexuality among gay men discussing sensitive and intimate topic of hooking up. The study adopts a qualitative research framework that particularly explores gender and sexuality expressions. Three self-identified gay men participated in a focus group interview session. A focus group interview was performed with a prepared set of questions and some follow-up discussion questions. The interview was recorded and transcribed and analyzed thematically. The results showed that even though there were general differences between how they pursued hookups, there were more determinants other than gender expression, such as role, tribe, and nature. More masculine presenting gays are likely to be more direct, while more feminine presenting ones are more likely to be less direct. Additionally, certain phrases are used to specify the directness of their intentions in pursuing hookups. The results indicated that issues in the community are often a complex mix of factors beyond masculinity and femininity and are still closely tied to heteronormative and patriarchal values.
Copyright (c) 2020 Indonesian JELT: Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching
This article aims to share the author’s mini-action research in using some creative writing activities with Vietnamese high school students to examine how creative these EFL students could be in their writing of English and how useful creative writing can be to them. Three teaching activities were tried out as warmers with two groups of students in three different English sessions within two weeks. The outcome showed that these high school students were able to write creatively and their products could contribute to consolidating the benefits of creative activities in enhancing students’ mental and emotional development as advocated in various EFL contexts (Avramenko et al., 2018; Maloney, 2019; Manara, 2015; Pawliczak, 2015; Rippey, 2014; Şenel, 2018).
Analyzing a language-driven content-based language teaching textbook using sociocultural theory
The Asian EFL (English as a foreign language) classroom is famous for its reliance on textbooks to prepare students for high-stakes examinations. It is therefore of importance to ensure the quality of EFL textbooks for quality learning and teaching. While much previous research has been done about pre-use, in-use, and post-use textbook evaluation, there has not been any study about how sociocultural theory may be used as an analytical tool to evaluate EFL textbooks at these different stages of evaluation. The teaching philosophies of different teachers can be rooted in different learning theories, such as constructivism and sociocultural theory. Teachers, thus, need to be sensitive to their own beliefs in terms of learning theories to choose textbooks in a theoretically principled way. This study aims at demonstrating how a Hong Kong high school language-driven content-based language teaching (CBLT) textbook can be analysed in terms of sociocultural theory. The study is guided by the following research question: What are the principles from sociocultural theory which echo the overall design of a Hong Kong CBLT textbook? CBLT is increasingly popular worldwide, especially in Southeast Asia; yet, there are few CBLT textbooks for the English subject in the Asian market. A required textbook of a Hong Kong high school was closely analyzed, with thematic analysis used for analysis. The results of this study show that this textbook exhibits many features of sociocultural theory, such as use of cognitive tools to help promote high-order thinking and use of collaborative talk and then private talk to promote internalization.
A review of research on student self-assessment in second / foreign language writing
The present article reviews the research on writing Self-Assessment (SA) conducted in the period of 2000 - 2020. The article discusses the theoretical foundation for SA following the review of conceptualization of SA by various researchers. We were particularly interested in (i) examining whether the concept of SA has witnessed an expansion during the two decades in English as a foreign/second language (EFL/ESL) writing and (ii) determining the components that were found interconnected to the concept of SA in the writing context. The findings related to the first objective indicate that the SA has expanded in its conceptualization; however, its definition and application are expected to broaden. As a result of analyzing the studies, based on the second objective, the following themes emerged: SA and training students, SA and the dialogue between students and teachers, SA and teacher training, SA and affective variables, SA and cultural components, SA and age, SA and instrumentation, SA and exemplars, SA and teacher feedback, SA and prior experience, SA and conducive environments, SA and contextualizing SA items. The review shows an important role of the components in the concept of SA in the EFL/ESL writing context; however, studies in this regard are scarce. Another group of studies that emerged was those that examined perceptions towards SA. We conclude with a critical reflection on the reviewed literature and recommend new directions for further studies.
Language use and novice teacher identity in an online Community of Practice
This paper investigates how novice Singaporean teachers indicate their professional and personal identities through language in an online Community of Practice (CoP). The six research participants were asked to post daily about their professional experiences of teaching using a social networking site and these were analyzed by Alsagoff’s (2010) Cultural Orientation Model which posits that standard and vernacular English use should not be considered as exclusive categories. The findings reveal that novice teachers shift their deployment of linguistic resources alongside a global and local orientation, expressing a multitude of identities. They index themselves as ‘friends’, a semi-professional identity that assumes supporting and encouraging their peers; as ‘beginning teachers’, recognizing the need for development, while at the same time expressing their confidence. Other identities expressed through language are ‘expert’ offering advice to their peers, and ‘insiders’, who converse in a jargon specific to their field. The data also highlights how growing professional confidence, personal emotions, and negotiations of status within a community contribute to the formation of teacher identities.
Joint maximum likelihood estimates on items-examinees using the prox method: A study on the reading subtest of TOEFL
Item response theory (IRT) emerges as an accurate solution to the weaknesses of the classical test theory (CTT). IRT provides more advantages than CTT does. The advantages include the requirements of unidimension for items, local independence between examinees and items, and examinee-item parameter invariance. The requirements are needed in test construction. TOEFL is so far known as the test which meets the requirements in language testing. It however concerns IRT. In this case, the research deals with the reading subtest of TOEFL with regard to IRT. The research is designed to estimate examinee-item parameters. As a parameter logistic (1PL) model in IRT, the Prox method is employed to estimate the parameters jointly. This is named joint maximum likelihood estimates. The method requires dichotomous data. Therefore, TOEFL as a good test instrument is chosen. It includes 30 persons as the examinee measure θ parameter and 20 items as the item difficulty b parameter. Unlike CTT, IRT using Prox method is able to estimate the examinee-item parameters jointly. As a result, the values of θ and b prove the ranges as the model intended in IRT, which is commonly named as the item characteristic curve.
Copyright (c) 2005 Indonesian JELT: Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching
Corpus linguistics and the study of English grammar
This paper describes how corpus-based analyses can be employed for the study of English grammar, with a focus on case studies taken from the Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English (LGSWE). Two major themes are developed: 1) the kinds of unexpected findings about language use that result from corpus-based investigations, and 2) the importance of register for any descriptive account of linguistic variation. Three case studies are presented: one focusing on the use of words (i.e., the most common verbs in English); the second focusing on the use and distribution of grammatical forms (i.e., the relative frequency of simple, progressive, and perfect aspect in English); and the third describing how lexis and grammatical structure can interact in complex ways (i.e., showing how verbs with the same valency patterns can have strikingly different preferences for particular valencies). In all three cases, the paper argues for the centrality of a register perspective, showing how the patterns of use vary dramatically from one register to another.
Developing theories of teaching academic Indonesian to non-language majors: Ways of collecting and analyzing data
Writing is the skill most neglected in language education in Indonesia. High school graduates in general are not ready to write academic Indonesian, let alone academic English. This paper discusses practices of teaching Indonesian at pre-college and college levels, theories and practice of writing, and language versus non-language specialists as writing instructors. The objectives of this paper are to demonstrate that: (1) different techniques of data collection generate different types of data, (2) the more data you have, the better you triangulate the findings, and (3) the quality of data is not only determined by its collecting techniques, but also by its relevance with research objectives. In this paper, I want to share the methodology of several studies on teaching writing at college levels I have conducted in the last eight years in English and non-English departments in Indonesia. The studies have revealed the following: (1) language education has failed to provide pre-college students with fundamentals of academic writing, (2) freshman Indonesian should be focused on developing academic or technical writing, (3) the success of teaching academic writing at college levels is dependent on the success of teaching writing at pre-college levels, (4) non-Indonesian language lecturers have the potential to be empowered to teach academic writing in non-language departments, (5) ethnic literature-based writing has the potential to revitalize the ethnic literature, and (6) collaborative writing including peer reviewing and teacher-student conferencing has been effective for coping with big classes of writing.
Causes of reticence in EFL classrooms: A study of Chinese University students
This paper reports the findings of a studys of students’ reticence in Chinese EFL context. The participants were three teachers and 100 university freshmen from three proficiency levels enrolled in an English Listening & Speaking course. Using journals, observations and interviews as a technique of collecting data, the study revealed that (1) the majority of the participants were active during pair work but only a few volunteered to respond to their teachers or actively engaged in group discussions, (2) advanced-level students tended to be more active than their lower-level counterparts, and multiple variables worked together to result in student reticence in EFL classrooms. The results indicate that more research needs to be done to help students become more active and proficient EFL learners.
The learning strategies of Taiwanese university students: English majors versus non-English majors and males versus females
This study intends to investigate the learning strategies of Taiwanese university students. Two groups of students – 66 English majors and 86 non-English majors – were the subjects of the study. They responded to the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) (Oxford, 1989) of ESL or EFL version of 50 questions. The responses were calculated through statistical analysis in terms of frequency, mean, and standard deviation. It was found that all subjects use compensation strategies most frequently, and affective ones most infrequently. When English majors were compared with non-English majors, the former used learning strategies more frequently than the latter. Similarly, when gender was compared, female students tended to apply learning strategies more frequently than male students did. The top one and two strategies employed by all subjects were “If I can’t think of an English word, I use a word or phrase that means the same thing,” and “To understand unfamiliar English words, I make guesses.” The strategy least used was “I write down my feelings in a language learning diary.” The paper concludes by discussing the pedagogical implications of the findings.
Instructing language learning strategies to promote autonomous learning
The paper discusses the effects of language learning strategy instruction on the improvement of the four language skills at tertiary education level. The focus of the discussion reflects two main points. The first relates to the effect of instruction in the use of language learning strategies prior to undertaking autonomous language learning in a self-access center on the improvement of the four language skills, and the second relates to the language learning strategies used in the self-access center where autonomous language learning takes place. The paper argues that language learning strategies instruction promotes autonomous language learning mode and contributes to the improvement of both the productive and the receptive skills. It is also evident that there are some other language learning strategies used during the autonomous learning in the self-access center other than those identified and used in foreign language learning. Practical application of autonomous learning mode in the self-access center in relation to the teaching of English to non-language departments at tertiary education level is also suggested.
lexically-based language teaching metaphor for enhancing learning
Although metaphor has been ignored, lexically-based language teaching considers metaphor as an important aspect to learn. Learning metaphor helps learners improve their general proficiency in SLA because metaphor is a key to human memory organization, so that it enhances the acquisition of vocabulary, improves comprehension, clarifies ideas, extends thought, and increases attention. As long as meaning is the center of second language learning, metaphorical meaning must also be included because metaphor is pervasive in every day language and thought. Raising students’ awareness towards metaphor helps develop their metaphorical competence, which is a requirement for native-like proficiency. The importance of metaphor in lexically-based language teaching lends support from, cognitive linguistics the theory of mental lexicon, cognitive linguistics, second language acquisition, and the abundant use of metaphor in daily use.
Intonation meaning in English discourse: A study of Thai speakers
At the heart of cross-cultural misunderstandings lie problems associated with intonation features of learners of English (Gumperz et al., 1979; Gumperz, 1982). The successful use of discourse intonation contributes to effective cross-cultural communication, and failure to make use of the appropriate pragmatic discourse features of English intonation jeopardizes effective communication, possibly resulting in serious communication breakdown between native and non-native speakers. Despite its crucial role in communication and language learning, many English language learners have difficulty in using appropriate intonation. A number of studies of second language intonation have an underlying assumption of the role of cross-linguistic interference contributing to a “foreign intonation” (Lepetit, 1989; Hewings, 1990; Wennerstrom, 1994). However, this line of research is in an early stage and the findings are as yet inconclusive. This paper compared the speech of five Thai speakers who were studying for their advanced degrees in science and business in the U.S with the speech produced by five native speakers. The speech elicited from three different tasks was analyzed using Pierrehumbert & Hirschberg’s 1990 model of intonational meaning. The extent to which the intonation produced by Thais diverged from that by native speakers was assessed. In light of the findings, pedagogical suggestions were offered to help improve the teaching of pronunciation, in general, and the teaching of intonation, in particular.
some ideas for teaching grammar more effectively in an EFL context
Most teachers in an EFL context place a great importance on grammar and see their primary function as reducing their students’ grammar errors. While ignoring the value of this attitude, this article sets out to show how teachers’ view of grammar is limiting and their approach to teaching grammar (PPP lesson plan and a strong emphasis on grammar production) generates unsatisfactory results. The article then goes on to show how we actually learn grammar through noticing language patterns, noticing-the-gaps, and production, then shows how making hypotheses and testing their validity with authentic texts, building systems to record language patterns and collocations, extensive reading, and scaffolding are the keys to learning grammar. Yet, they are not part of the PPP equation nor are they included in most teachers’ language-teaching routines. It is suggested that these elements along with a more task-based approach could provide useful alternatives. The first part of this article provides some of the theoretical underpinnings, and the remainder looks at some effective techniques for their implementation and some important implications made by these underpinnings and their application in large classes of Indonesian EFL students.
Do learners collaborate during task performance?
The research based on sociocultural theory suggests that studying learner interaction during task performance will provide a window for understanding the cognitive processes that are involved in acquiring a second language. The study reported here investigated the extent to which pairs of learners collaborated in performing rule-discovery grammar tasks. It took into account the proportion of contribution each learner made to the task and the type of scaffolded assistance they provided each other. The findings indicate that learners do generally collaborate while performing tasks, often sharing talk equally and with little indication of a dominant partner. The interaction between the learners of all pairs investigated in the study displayed evidence of scaffolding in various forms, indicating that they generally approached the tasks with a mutual, collaborative orientation. Learners adopted the roles of experts and novices, which were at times interchangeable, and helped each other to arrive at a shared solution.
Copyright (c) 2006 Indonesian JELT: Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching
Students' perspectives on a school-based English program
This article reports a study on students’ perspectives on a summer school program, a school-based Café aimed at learning spoken English. Administering a 15-item survey to 1,331 students at six different grade levels at a Macao secondary school, the study revealed that (1) most of the students were not motivated to learn spoken English, (2) the majority of the students held negative attitudes towards the school-based English program, (3) the students at higher grade levels tended to be significantly more motivated and held more positive attitudes towards the program, (4) male students were significantly more motivated and thought more highly of the program than their female counterparts, and (5) the students’ English-learning motivation and attitudes towards the program were significantly positively correlated with their English proficiency. Finally, some suggestions and implications were discussed.
Revamping an intensive English language program: Challenges and innovations
This article describes an attempt to reform a curriculum of an English intensive language program in the Sultanate of Oman. The reform consisted of several stages, starting from the identification of needs until choosing teaching materials. Based on the data obtained from the various sources of the study (i.e. survey, observations, interviews, and workshops), a number of changes were introduced to the curriculum. This project revealed important issues to be addressed in order to make the program design and evaluation more effective in upgrading students’ English language proficiency and academic competence so that they are better prepared for college study.
Learning strategies and implications for second language teaching
This article reviews the relevant literature of language learning strategies by examining the background, the issues along with the definition, the characteristics, the categories and the functional framework. The intertwined relationships among person, task, context and strategies are illustrated with the tetrahedral model proposed by Gu (2003). The article also discusses the significance of language learning strategies for second language learning and the effectiveness of strategy instruction before presenting the pedagogical implications for second language teachers. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of language learning strategy studies by summarizing the important aspects and to highlight the implications for integrating language learning strategy instruction into ESL classrooms so that the teachers can have a meaningful way to focus on their teaching efforts and the learners can become more efficient in their efforts to learn a second language as well.
Conducting action research in Indonesia: Illustrations and implications
In this article we discuss some of the key features of action research (AR) and how it can be applied in the educational context. We then describe how principles of AR were used in the Indonesian context with ten high school teachers as a professional development experience to encourage the teachers to reflect on their teaching and to introduce changes into their classroom practices. The teachers reported that, in contrast to previous professional development, AR provided them with a powerful means of professional growth as it was closely related to their own teaching situations. It also created changes and innovations in their teaching practices that they believed led to more effective classroom activities and teacher-student interactions. Nevertheless, they also reported various difficulties associated with undertaking research in the classroom. We conclude the article by presenting a case study to illustrate in more detail how AR was conducted by one of the teachers and what changes occurred in her teaching. The article also draws out implications of the study for teacher education in Indonesia.
Some aspects of qualitative research in researching language
In the academic world, research inquiry is ‘bitterly’ divided into two competing paradigms: quantitative and qualitative research. Both are competing to search for revealing certain phenomenon and each of them claims to be the most satisfactory way to thoroughly discover the answer of the phenomenon. Firstly the article tries to illustrate the tension between the quantitative and qualitative research, the nature of qualitative research such as its epistemological positions, summary of the recurrent elements in qualitative research. Secondly, it explains qualitative research in language learning. The third part is on the methods in qualitative research such as case study, ethnography, observation and field interview. The fourth part is on ethical issues. Fifthly, the article discusses reliability and validity. The sixth part is on sampling. The seventh part is on the dynamic nature of research questions and the role of theory. The eighth part is on qualitative data analysis. The ninth part is on teacher-researcher and action research. The tenth part is on the structure of qualitative research proposal and the last part is on the introduction of qualitative research in Indonesia. It is perceived that there are various aspects in language learning that can be explored with the use of qualitative research, ranging from foreign language acquisition and language teaching policy.
The implementability of Western approaches in Eastern Societies
The field of foreign language teaching has been dominated mostly by Western views. While some of these views can indeed be implemented, many others, especially with regards to the role of the teacher and that of the students, stumble on cultural barriers; the approaches are also constrained by the unavailability of educational facilities in most Eastern societies. This paper is to look into these two constraints: (a) in the case of learner autonomy and the new role of the teacher, the Western concepts cannot be conveniently implemented without changing the cultural values of the society, and (b) in the case of educational facilities, Western approaches such as Community Language Learning, Total Physical Response, Suggestopedy, and Content-based Instruction, which are claimed to be student-centered, cannot easily be implemented in normal classrooms where educational aids are not generally available on the national scope.
A preliminary study of code switching in the speech of an Indonesian English bilingual
This preliminary study of the speech of a bilingual shows that code switching is relatively spontaneous and follows the conventions of both languages. Code switching in this subject is generally triggered by an bilingual interlocutor whom the subject knows well. Many of the instances of code switching can be categorized according Gumperz’s discourse functions. However, it was found that the grammar of the code switches is not consistent and it cannot be predicted when code switching will occur.
Misinterpretations of real needs in SL and FL writing situations: Is there a need to re-evaluate directions?
Teachers of English in Second language and foreign language situations who teach writing have had to face many challenges, some of which have come about from rapid changes in the teaching of writing in the developed nations. The dilemma that teachers face is a big one – whether to totally embrace the changes (which are advocated by these developed nations as being necessary to achieve better teaching and learning, or to adopt and adapt where necessary. This article provides the over-view of problems faced by writing teachers in SL/FL situations and provides some suggestions as to how teachers can deal with “paradigm shifts” as in the ones that have affected the field of writing.
Autonomy and control in EFL programme management
This article argues that issues of autonomy and control – who has autonomy and who has control over which decisions – are endemic in programme design, implementation and evaluation, and seriously impact programme success. This argument is illustrated using data from an evaluation of an EFL Mentoring Programme designed to train local EFL teachers to supplement and eventually replace expatriate teachers. It is concluded that ownership and commitment on EFL programmes are directly related to issues of autonomy and control, and that striking a balance between autonomy and control is a very difficult aspect of programme management.
Humanistics language teaching, facilitation, and classroom conversation
Despite the fact that teachers of foreign languages often talk about ‘conversation classes’, the provision of conversation and instruction is often considered to be mutually exclusive (Seedhouse 1996). However, this paper proposes that humanistic language teaching (HLT) is one way of resolving this paradox. A language instructor has two sources of authority: institutional and linguistic. A facilitator, using humanistic teaching techniques, gives up institutional authority and so ‘frees up’ the classroom turn-taking system so that the strict initiation-response-feedback (IRF) pattern of most teaching is transformed into a conversational pattern where any participant is potentially a next speaker. Consequently, a conversation can take place in a class. On the other hand, linguistic authority is still exercised in the form of side-sequences which allow the facilitator to provide minimally invasive feedback without affecting the overall orientation to conversational rules of turn-taking.