Literacy and the language awareness hypothesis

This paper describes an exploratory qualitative study that is part of a larger research project into the impact of experiential learning on teacher proficiency and practice. It focuses on how, through a process approach to developing and evaluating their own oral skills, trainee teachers at the National Institute of Education in Singapore became more aware of features of spoken language that relate particularly to reading aloud in class. Such awareness is important because when these teachers enter school, they will work with primary school children and follow the Strategies for English Language Learning and Reading (STELLAR) program, which takes a shared-book approach and involves both teachers and students in reading aloud activities. This paper demonstrates how increasing awareness of features of their own spoken English and reflecting on the implications for reading aloud helped the teachers improve their own delivery and relate what they had learned to the classroom.

This chapter explores how Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) in an upper high school English Language Arts classroom (ELA) supported students in recognizing how language patterns in texts positions people to think and behave in particular ways. SFL resources also deepened students’ language awareness as well as their writing on high stakes tests. The chapter provides educators with an example of how to use the resources of SFL with students to recognize and analyze critical issues in narrative, drama, and nonfiction texts.

Appropriately timed Focus on Form can help in raising the learners' language awareness. In this paper we argue that the learner's own text composition progression can indicate when a learner is ready to notice a particular language form. Stimulated recall induced discussion was used to provoke explicit writer comments relating to noticing and language awareness. Two female Swedish 13-year-olds wrote descriptive texts in English using the computer key-stroke logging program, JEdit. This program registers each key-stroke and its time of occurrence. JEdit includes a replay facility. Half of the writing sessions were directly followed by a stimulated recall session in which the writers used the software to comment upon a text's composition progression. A teacher took part in the discussion and gave Focus on Form elaboration when required. Later, the students were invited back to revise their texts. In the analysis we have coupled the comments from the first writing occasion with the changes made. We have also analysed the number of words written and revisions undertaken in each text's composition progression. The results show that the stimulated recall sessions were awareness raising and that they induced the writers to revise more, as an influence of the discussion.

In 1970s, Language Awareness (LA) was put forward, primarily by modern linguists, as a new ‘bridging’ element in the UK school curriculum. It was viewed as a solution to several of the failures in the UK schools: illiteracy in English, failure to learn foreign languages, and divisive prejudices. To Van Lier (2001) current interest in LA stems from three sources: Pedagogically oriented LA, Consciousness raising, and critical perspective. This paper concentrates on psycholinguistic focus on consciousness-raising (hereafter C-R activities) and explicit attention to language form or grammar. Three relevant issues are discussed here. Firstly, the nature of LA, its principles, objectives and procedures are discussed. Secondly, this study delves into the main justifications and implications of LA. Last but not the least, this paper tries to present an overview of the rationale behind the use of C-R activities in teaching grammar and current perspectives in grammar teaching. Key words: Language Awareness, Grammar pedagogy, Consciousness Raising, Critical Perspectives

Language awareness refers to the understanding of language forms and functions, which is gradually formed by learners in the process of internalizing specific language knowledge. It is a mental activity that is not only abstract but also complex. English writing examines students’ comprehensive application of English knowledge, and is an indispensable part of English learning. The deficiency of students’ English writing part can be attributed to their lack of corresponding language awareness. This paper first expresses the importance of language awareness in English writing teaching, and then analyzes the main factors that influence the cultivation of college English language awareness, and finally puts forward the new model of college English writing teaching under the drive of language awareness.

Towards a formal model of patterns and pattern languages

Summary: Social indexicality and enregisterment are basic notions of a theoretical model elaborated in the USA, whose aim is to describe the relationship between the use of language variation and patterns of social behavior on a level of formal classifications. This analytical approach is characterized by focusing on the interrelation of social performance and language awareness. In our contribution we want to show how this modern methodology can give new impetus to the study of today’s problem areas in Europe like ‘migration and language’ or ‘urban life and language use’. In particular, we are interested in the case of Catalan which has been treated for some time by proponents of the North-American enregisterment theory. This leads us to indicate that explicit ways of social conduct like language shift or the emblematic use of linguistic forms can be interpreted with regard to the social indexicality of Catalan. We thus analyze them in a way which shows that authenticity and integration in Catalan society can be achieved to a considerable extent by practicing forms of linguistic enregisterment. [Keywords: Social indexicality; enregisterment; sociolinguistics; language variation; urban dialect; multilingualism; migration; Catalan]

Social indexicality and enregisterment are basic notions of a theoretical model elaborated in the United States, the aim of which is to describe the relationship between the use of language variation and patterns of social behavior at the level of formal classification. This analytical approach is characterized by focusing on the interrelation of social performance and language awareness. In my contribution, I want to show how this modern methodology can give new impetus to the study of today’s problem areas in Europe, such as migration and language or urban life and language use. In particular, I am interested in the case of Catalan, which has been studied for some time by proponents of the North American enregisterment theory. This leads me to indicate that explicit forms of social conduct, such as language shift or the emblematic use of linguistic forms, can be interpreted with regard to the social indexicality of Catalan. I thus analyze them in a way which shows that authenticity and integration in Catalan society can be achieved to a considerable extent by practicing forms of linguistic enregisterment.

The social justice potential of critical reflection and critical language awareness pedagogies for L2 writers

This study explores Language Awareness (LA) and its significance in language teaching. LA, a concept developed since the 1990s, plays a vital role in language learning and teaching. It involves recognizing language's nature, cultural ties, forms, and ideological implications. Teaching Language Awareness (TLA) is crucial for educators, especially within different teaching methods like "focus-on-form," "focus-on formS," and "focus-on-meaning." Challenges for educators in diverse contexts are discussed. The study addresses issues like the importance of subject-matter knowledge and educators' sensitivity to learner development. It emphasizes observation to identify language-related difficulties. Additionally, it highlights the gap between teacher education and classroom application, influenced by educator motivation and perceptions. In conclusion, this study advocates TLA's importance, identifies common challenges, and calls for further research on integrating LA into diverse teaching approaches.

Language misconceptions are still very prevalent among the public, partially due to lack of linguistic education in schools. Language misconceptions can influence language attitudes, including the language attitudes of language-minority children towards their native language. In this study, 5th graders enrolled in a dual language program participated in an 18-lesson language awareness curriculum and completed Likert-type pre/posttest surveys and pretest/posttest interviews. Students’ prescriptive language attitude results are compared to those of an English-instruction control group that did not receive language awareness lessons. Both bilingual and monolingual students believed formal, school-based language to be superior to informal language. Despite having received language awareness instruction, students in the treatment group continued to hold prescriptivist language attitudes. Implications for future language awareness curricula are discussed.

When communicating on the Internet, the participants, so to say, mingle two traditional modes of communication: writing and speech. The phenomenon appears to be most noticeable in chat room interactions. This suggestion is based on the fact that users try to behave as though they are engaged in a spoken act of communication, though the actual medium of communication employs written language forms. Therefore, Internet users need to know what conventions to employ and how to perform such actions in order to express the desired meanings, all with the aim of driving the interaction as close as possible to speech. Such implementations of certain language-related customs require a specific kind of language awareness from the users. This concept, plus the applied conventions, constitute the essence of this article. The discussion begins with an introduction to the research problem, in this case the intentional utilization by Internet chat participants of the graphic mode of communication in order to express their desired meanings. Second, the reader becomes acquainted with the terminology used in the paper, which includes: language awareness, (Internet) chat, and (language) corpus. Moreover, the source of the studied language material—a corpus of Internet chats—is presented. The said description additionally includes the informants’ characteristics, as well as the topicality of their conversations. The further sections of the paper discus the application of selected non-normative spelling conventions and word-formation processes, with the support of examples taken from the corpus. Based on the discussion, an attempt is made to indicate which features comprise certain values to the participants of Internet chats.

This article extends Henri Meschonnic’s (1932–2009) <i>theory of rhythm</i> to the notion of <i>Poetic Thinking</i>, demonstrating an often neglected aspect of how language shapes our perception of the world. It starts out from the tradition of <i>Sprachdenken</i>, based on Wilhelm von Humboldt and his notion of languages as <i>worldviews</i> and Meschonnic’s work on <i>rhythm</i> as <i>signifiance</i>, that is, as a meaning-making procedure, following the linguistics of Émile Benveniste. Language as our access to the world goes beyond the communication of extralingual facts: the human world is rather also the result of language processes—these are formative for our perception of things, and hence also for our world. <i>Rhythm</i> understood not as meter, but as prosody and linguistic patterns, with its aterial sound aspects, plays a role in these cognitive processes. In such processes, taking into account Martin Buber’s dialogical thinking, <i>Poetic Thinking</i> is the transforming power in the interaction of the form of life and the form of language that acts when a subject constitutes itself in a creative and dialogical way, transforming the way we perceive the world. This awareness of language as poetic, that is, creative, is explained by referring back to the ancient debate of the universals. It changes our conception of reality, of truth, of ethics, of historicity, of universalism and subjectivity. By changing our epistemological beliefs and our vision of what it means to be human, it is eminently political. (MP)

Awareness about second language learning and use is a concern of second language learners as well as native speakers of the majority language. The need for awareness-raising among majority language speakers is, however, not generally acknowledged. Native speakers are often ignorant of important cognitive as well as sociocultural and affective aspects of second language learning, and underestimate the time and effort it takes to come to terms with another language and culture. Moreover, rather than acknowledging their own important role as the linguistically more competent speaker, they tend to put full responsibility for understanding on their second language interlocutor. For second language learners, critical awareness of how language is used in inter-ethnic commmunication outside the classroom and opportunities for language use in conversations with native speakers can prepare learners for more confident interaction with native speakers and prevent feelings of helplessness and frustration. Research has shown that many learners also benefit from developing metalinguistic awareness through conscious reflection about language form in collaborative activities. There is also evidence that adult learners from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds with limited formal schooling engage in complex metatalk which raises their awareness of language and empowers them as learners.

A widely accepted theoretical premise in second language acquisition holds that learners must notice language form in order to learn it. This premise provides support for language instruction that integrates attention to language form with attention to content. Empirical research has shown this combination to be effective; however, little research has investigated how learners attend to form in content-based language contexts. This study was carried out as part of a larger research project investigating the effect and effectiveness of form-focused instruction (FFI) in a content-based language programme. The project used a pre-test/post-test/delayed post-test design to measure language and content outcomes and a retrospective recall protocol to investigate learner attention to language and content. This paper reports on the findings of the recall protocol and the relationship between learner attention and language outcomes. Analysis of the recall data indicated that the participants were able to identify the focus of the instruction they received in reference to content or language. However, no relationship between awareness of language and language outcomes was found. The findings are discussed in the context of content-based language instruction and FFI and the possible role of orientation and depth of processing in learner attention and awareness.