LINGUIST List 21.2570 Fri Jun 11 2010 Diss: Applied Ling: Sorensen: 'Teach Yourself?: Language learning ...' Editor for this issue: Mfon Udoinyang <mfonlinguistlist.org> To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.    Louise Sorensen, Teach Yourself?: Language learning through self-instruction manuals in nineteenth-century Scandinavia Message 1: Teach Yourself?: Language learning through self-instruction manuals in nineteenth-century Scandinavia Date: 11-Jun-2010 From: Louise Sorensen <l.sorensenshef.ac.uk> Subject: Teach Yourself?: Language learning through self-instruction manuals in nineteenth-century Scandinavia E-mail this message to a friend Institution: University of Sheffield Program: Department of English Language and Linguistics Dissertation Status: Completed Degree Date: 2010 Author: Louise Munch Sorensen Dissertation Title: Teach Yourself?: Language learning through self-instruction manuals in nineteenth-century Scandinavia Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics Subject Language(s): Danish (dan)                             English (eng)                             Norwegian, Bokmål (nob)                             Swedish (swe) Dissertation Director: Andrew R Linn Dissertation Abstract: To learn a foreign language from a self-instruction manual (teach-yourself book) is not as easy as the publishers will have us believe. Despite this, the genre has endured for many centuries. This thesis argues that the robustness of self-instruction language manuals is due to their ability to adapt to the personal circumstances of their readers. By surveying ordinary nineteenth-century Scandinavians, it is established that they turned to self-directed learning as a consequence of social and economic developments in the region. At the time, early globalisation was felt in terms of increased travel and trade. As a consequence, people needed to acquire foreign languages for the purpose of everyday communication. Because this area of second language acquisition was practical and took place outside formal education, it has not been accepted as part of the history of applied linguistics. I argue that 'utilitarian language learning' deserves to be included as an example of the current theory of autonomous learning. I also draw the conclusion that autonomy is actually one of the reasons why self-instruction manuals are not as effective as traditional language teaching, because the learners take charge of their own learning process and as a result often suffer from lack of motivation and opportunities to practise the language. I do, however, maintain that the works themselves are not inherently inept. The nineteenth-century methods were actually an improvement upon existing methods by focusing on the spoken rather than the written language. Finally, I investigate why abstract notions of language, culture and identity were not present in works that could essentially disseminate elitist ideas to the general population. I argue that because the genre was highly commercialised, the authors deliberately chose to exclude topics that had political undertones and the potential to alienate parts of the readership. Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 11-Jun-2010       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.