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Dr. Richards discusses recent books on language teaching
that he recommends... |
Cambridge Grammar of English.
Ronald Carter and Michael McCarthy. Cambridge University Press 2006
It is not often that a new comprehensive grammar of English is published, and when two scholars with the status of Ronald Carter and Michael McCarthy publish such a book it is bound to be something special. And it certainly is. This magnificent new grammar, while over 900 pages long, has a number of features that make it stand out. Firstly, the information it contains about how English works is based on an extensive corpus of spoken and written English. The corpus provides a huge amount of new information about how English is actually spoken and written, and the authors have drawn on this extensively in their commentaries on the intricacies of English grammar. Secondly, throughout, typical learner errors are highlighted, making the book a valuable resource for teachers and students. Thirdly, an accompanying CD-ROM contains the whole book in a user-friendly searchable format, audio recordings of all examples in the book, and links to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. And lastly, the book is beautifully organized and very easy to use. Everyone involved in teaching or learning English or simply interested in learning more about the English language will find this an indispensable guide to English grammar and usage.
Grammar
Michael Swan. Oxford University Press 2005.
This short book is one of the latest titles in the wonderful series Oxford Introductions to Language Study, edited by Henry Widdowson. Michael Swan is the well known author of many widely used grammar reference books and course books (and has recently written an excellent critique of task- based language teaching, in the journal Applied Linguistics).
In his latest book in 80 pages he provides a very readable but comprehensive survey of the nature of grammar, drawing on views of grammar found in linguistics, historical linguistics, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, and other sources, and throws light on a wide range of fascinating issues that are central to our understanding of what grammar is and it’s role in language use. These include: “What, in fact, is grammar? Why does it get so complicated? What are different ways in which the world’s languages exploit it? How does it relate to other aspects of language, and to the outside world? How is it involved in language change? What are the implications of ‘grammatical correctness’ for education and society? What, if anything, do we know about how grammar is represented in the mind and stored in the brain?” Swan’s discussion of these issues is always insightful and fascinating, and demonstrates that there is nothing dull about the study of grammar. Like other titles in this series, the book contains a set of short readings by different scholars, a selection of annotated references, and a glossary of terms used throughout the book. Both experienced teachers and those new to the field will find this book a valuable overview of what grammar is and the role it plays in communication.
Ideas and Options in English For Specific Purposes
Helen Basturkmen. Lawrence Erlbaum 2006
This book is intended for graduate level TESOL courses and would also be invaluable for practitioners in the fields of ESP course design. It is a clearly written and very original overview of issues involved in designing and teaching ESP courses. Questions addressed include;” What types of ESP teaching are practiced? What are the alternatives in ESP course design and what ideas about language and learning are they based on? What different roles can ESP teaching play? What kinds of research are carried out into the communicative practices of professional, academic, and workplace groups? How are theories from second language acquisition (SLA) reflected in ESP? What links are there between the emergence of a sociopolitical awareness in education and ESP?” The wide scope of issues addressed in the book reminds us therefore that there is a lot more to ESP than needs analysis and case studies. Basturkmen demonstrates that ESP draws on a variety of theoretical and research-based sources and it is the reference to theory throughout that distinguishes this book from other overviews of ESP. A special feature of the book is the wide range of examples it contains of ESP course and materials design from around the world, including English for Academic Purposes, English for Professional Purposes, and English for Vocational Purposes. I regard this book as a “must read” for anyone seriously interested in the teaching of English for Specific Purposes.
Applied Linguistics and Language Teacher Education
Nat Bartels (editor). Springer 2005.
This book reminds us that the field of second language teacher education has come of age. It contains 21 papers by different scholars and researchers who seek to answer a fundamental question in second language teacher education, namely, how do teachers, particularly novice teachers, make use of the theoretical knowledge which forms much of the basis of their graduate TESOL courses? As anyone who has taught on or participated in a graduate TESOL course can attest, the relevance of the core knowledge base of our profession (e.g. second language acquisition, methodology, syntax, pragmatics, testing etc) is largely taken for granted. How such knowledge contributes to a teacher’s professional development has hardly been considered. This book therefore is a timely attempt to address this issue by providing a “state-of-the-art summary of research on knowledge acquisition and use which provides applied linguists with a solid base for developing their ideas about their students’ learning and use of the knowledge presented in their classes.” The contributors employ a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods to examine how different areas of content in a typical MA course, and understood and used by teachers, both during the course and after they graduate. The book will be of great interest to those who teach on graduate TESOL course, as well as those who are interested in learning more about the field of second language teacher education.
The Struggle to Teach English
as an International Language
Adrian Holliday. Oxford University Press 2005
This is one of the most interesting books I have read this year, and one which raises many challenging and at times, disturbing questions for TESOL professionals. It belongs to the school of “critical pedagogy”, since the author seeks to explore and question some of the hidden values, assumptions, and beliefs which provide the basis for many long accepted principles and practices in our profession. Central to these is the notion of “native-speakerism”, which leads many western-educated TESOL professions to unwittingly impose a culturally-biased set of beliefs and practices on their students. Holliday sees an element of struggle and confrontation when the western-dominated culture of TESOL interacts with other cultures. Holliday seeks to deconstruct the thinking and assumptions behind such notions as learner-centredness, learner autonomy, needs analysis, and communicative classroom practices and poses the question of what is a morally acceptable position to take as TESOL professional when promoting the use of English as an international language. This beautifully written and highly original book should be required reading on graduate TESOL programs since it prompts a rethinking of many of our working assumptions and practices.
How To Teach Grammar
Scott Thornbury. Pearson Education, 1999
This is one of the most intelligent and useful books on teaching
of grammar that I have read in a long time. (The fact that
the author is a fellow expatriate New Zealander should not
be considered a bias on my part!). While many regard the teaching
of grammar as an issue that disappeared with Communicative
Language Teaching, the practical realities are that any well
planned language course has to give serious attention to the
role of grammar and the way accuracy is dealt with. In this
very well researched and highly readable book, Scott clears
away a lot of the confusion concerning exactly what we mean
by grammar, outlines a theory of grammar that is compatible
with current linguistic theory as well as second language
acquisition research, and then explores the various options
available in teaching grammar. He gives sample lessons for
a wide variety of approaches to the teaching of grammar and
offers very creative suggestions for dealing with common questions
related to grammar teaching. The suggestions are firmly grounded
in sound classroom practice and cover a variety of teaching
situations from elementary to advanced levels. This book will
be invaluable as a resource book for classroom teachers, and
will also be a core text on postgraduate TESOL programs.
Grammar for English Language Teachers
Martin Parrott. Cambridge University Press, 2000
Unlike Scott Thornbury’s book, which is a book on the
methodology of teaching grammar, Parrott’s book is a
reference book for teachers and teachers in training who need
to know more about the nature of English grammar. Since English
is the subject matter of TESOL, clearly an educated language
teaching professional needs to have a clear understanding
of how English works at the level of grammar, and this is
one of the best books I have seen for this task. At 514 pages
it is not a book you will carry to class, but is a must for
the teacher to have on his/her desk or for the school library.
The book sets out to help teachers develop their understanding
of English grammar, provides an accessible reference for planning
lessons and clarifying learner’s problems, and examines
typical difficulties learners have with different areas of
English grammar.
I think this is an outstanding teacher resource book on several
counts:
- 1. it is very user friendly – extremely clear explanations
and organization
- 2. well researched and accurate – Parrott clears
away some common misconceptions about many aspects of grammar
and present the results of recent research on grammar
- 3. it contains exercises to help consolidate the information
it presents
This is clearly not a book designed to be read from cover
to cover but to be consulted when needed. On the other hand
for those with a shaky knowledge of grammar it constitutes
an excellent self study course that can be completed on one’s
own.
Teaching English as an International Language
Sandra McKay. Oxford University Press, 2002
We hear a lot about English as an “international”
language these days, but what does the term mean? It refers
to the fact that English today is no longer the property of
the English speaking countries but is now a world commodity,
used as the basis for international business, travel, media
and cross cultural communications. The changed status of English
raised many important issues in language teaching. What variety
of English should we teach? Whose culture does English reflect?
What do we mean by a native speaker? What teaching methods
are appropriate in view of the changed status of English?
In this relatively short (150 pages), well written, and extremely
informed overview of the issues, Sandra Mackay explores these
and other issues, gently criticizing many commonly held assumptions
about the role of English and the privileged status English
has in some parts of the world. Essentially Mackay is arguing
that any approach to the teaching of English must be sensitive
to the context in which it is being taught, the status of
English in that context, and the local knowledge and values
operating in the context.
Every English teacher will come away better informed about
the nature of English teaching in a global context after reading
this book.
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