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From Utterances to Speech Acts

By Mikhail Kissine

"Kissine offers a new theory of speech acts which is philosophically sophisticated and builds on work in cognitive science, formal semantics, and linguistic typology. This highly readable, brilliant essay is a major contribution to the field."

--François Recanati, Institut Jean-Nicod

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Academic Paper


Title: The Effect of Task-based Instruction on the Acquisition and Use of English Existential Constructions by Iranian EFL Learners
Paper URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17501229.2011.604419
Author: Hussein M. Farsani
Email: click here to access email
Institution: University of Isfahan
Author: Mansoor Tavakoli
Institution: University of Isfahan
Author: Ahmad Moinzadeh
Email: click here to access email
Institution: University of Isfahan
Linguistic Field: Applied Linguistics
Abstract: This study sought to measure the degree of students' success in learning and proper use of Existential Constructions (ECs), namely there is/are, in English as a foreign language through Focus on Form (FonF) techniques in Task-based language teaching. For this purpose, 60 Iranian learners of English were randomly selected and assigned to one experimental and two control groups. Analysis of the results of the posttests revealed a positive effect for FonF Task-based instruction, thus confirming the first hypothesis regarding the effect of FonF on the participants’ successful acquisition and effective use of ECs in English. The results further confirmed the second hypothesis regarding the enhanced effect of FonF over more traditional methods’ strategies for the instruction and acquisition of particularly difficult grammatical features in a foreign language. The study also revealed that input enhancement alone does not guarantee learners’ success in acquiring and using foreign language structural elements. The results of the study also carry a number of implications that would be helpful for teachers and practitioners in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) contexts.
Type: Individual Paper
Status: Completed
Publication Info: Published online August 5 2011 in Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching
URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17501229.2011.604419


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