LINGUIST List 12.174

Tue Jan 23 2001

Review: Andrews, Linguistics for L2 Teachers

Editor for this issue: Terence Langendoen <terrylinguistlist.org>



What follows is another discussion note contributed to our Book Discussion Forum. We expect these discussions to be informal and interactive; and the author of the book discussed is cordially invited to join in. If you are interested in leading a book discussion, look for books announced on LINGUIST as "available for discussion." (This means that the publisher has sent us a review copy.) Then contact Andrew Carnie at carnielinguistlist.org

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  • Malcolm Finney, Review of Larry Andrews: Linguistics for L2 Teachers

    Message 1: Review of Larry Andrews: Linguistics for L2 Teachers

     Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 12:16:25 -0800
    From: Malcolm Finney <mfinneycsulb.edu>
    Subject: Review of Larry Andrews: Linguistics for L2 Teachers


    Larry Andrews (2001): Linguistics for L2 Teachers, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, xvii, 146 pp. ISBN 0-8058-3818-X

    Reviewed by: Malcolm A. Finney, California State University Long Beach

    This text, according to the author, is written primarily for ESL/Bilingual Education teachers who would like to learn more about the English language, its properties, features, and conventions, and the variety of purposes for which it is used. Many schools are staffed by teachers who learned English as L2 who may be ill equipped to teach ESL/Bilingual classes. The author promotes the text as a crash professional development/training course for nonnative teachers planning to get into ESL teaching. It should also be pointed out that the text mainly reflects the author's personal view of American English.

    Chapter 1(Some Basic Features of Language and Communication) introduces the objectives of the texts. The author makes it clear that the text is not about teaching methods or strategies that could be applied in the language classroom, contrary to what one would anticipate from the title. The book is primarily a descriptive account of different forms in English written mainly from a sociolinguistic perspective.

    This introductory chapter briefly addresses some theories attempting to explain to origin of speech including the following:

    The Bow-Wow theory: Earliest speech imitated onomatopoeic words. The Pooh-Pooh theory: Initial words were derived from sounds used to express human emotions such as pain and anger. The Ding-Dong theory: Initial words emerged as a result of stimuli in the environment. The Yo-He-Ho theory: Initial words emerged from grunts, groans, and grasps.

    These theories however have severe limitations and should be taken with a pinch of salt.

    This chapter further introduces features of communication (interactional, transactional, intentional, inferential) and properties of language (displacement, arbitrariness, productivity, discreteness, tool for cultural transmission).

    Chapter 2 (Words and Dictionaries) focuses on word origins and meanings. It describes different word-formation processes such as Coinage, Derivation, Borrowing, Compounding, Blending, Clipping, Acronym, Conversion, and Backformation. This section would be of particular interest to readers interested in word etymology. It may also be useful in vocabulary development.

    The author stresses the importance of learning and using words within the context of a particular culture and cites some examples of different interpretations of the same word in different dialects and registers of English.

    A somewhat disjointed section, though important in its on right, is a guide to ENL (English as a New Language) users to help them make efficient and effective use of the dictionary.

    In Chapter 3 (English Use and Usage), the author distinguishes the different types and definitions of grammar, outlining the strengths and inadequacies of each definition. These include grammar from a linguistic perspective (with phonology, syntax, and semantics as major components), descriptive grammar, prescriptive grammar, and pedagogical grammar.

    The chapter further distinguishes language usage (grammatical competence) from language use (communicative competence). It also addresses the issue of error correction and cautions teachers some apparent errors may actually be a dialectal variation. The advice is to keep error correction at a minimum. The chapter identifies when and which errors to correct but does not offer suggestions as to how such errors may be corrected.

    Language variety is another theme of this chapter and the author advises against making value judgment. Some varieties of English including Standard American English are introduced with examples, and the author points out that different forms may be appropriate in different contexts.

    Chapter 4 (Social Conventions and English Usage) introduces social conventions and rules of conversation and discourse. Topics covered include conventional and business telephone conventions; discourse routines; adjacency and utterance pairs; speech acts; and the cooperative principle and its four associated maxims (Quantity, Relation, Manner, Quality). This is a principle proposed to facilitate communication. The text cites instances in which this principle may be violated.

    I found this chapter to be particularly relevant to (potential) ESL teachers who plan to adopt the communicative approach to language teaching since if focuses on the different and appropriate uses of conversational English.

    Chapter 5 (American English Variations) revisits the issue of language varieties and identifies the factors that may trigger language variation. It introduces and defines linguistic features such as idiolects, dialects, and registers. The chapter further discusses properties Standard American English (SAE) and African American Vernacular English (AAVE). The author subscribes to the view that AAVE is not a dialect of SAE and that it rather developed from West African languages. The chapter outlines some features of AAVE that link it to West African languages.

    This chapter addresses issues that ESL teachers may also find very useful. It presents lexical, phonological, and grammatical variations among different dialects of English in the U.S. and Britain. It further mentions attitudes (mostly negative) towards regional, social, and cultural dialects of English.

    Chapter 6 (Meaning and Signification), the final chapter, addresses the semantics of words. It gives examples to illustrate that meaning is not constant but relative: Interpretation of the same word is different depending on the culture in which it is used. This is discussed within the context of semantic categories including synonyms and euphemisms.

    The book is mainly a descriptive account of some features of different varieties of American English. It is written in mainly non-technical language and is easy to read. Terms are clearly defined and lots of examples are provided. To enhance focus and facilitate comprehension, each chapter is introduced by a pre-reading activity containing questions and pointers that draws readers' attention to the important issues discussed in the chapter. Each chapter also concludes with post reading activity designed to stimulate thought and discussion on issues presented in the chapter.

    The title of the text may however lead potential readers to have expectations about the text that may not be realized. My initial assumption was that the text would introduce theories of linguistics and possible application of such theories in an L2 classroom. This was however not the intention of the author. The opening chapter acknowledged that the text was not about methods or strategies to be applied in the classroom but was rather designed to make the reader an authority on American English.

    This book would be an asset to someone interested in developing communicative competence in American English. It addresses a number of issues but not at great depth, which would make it difficult for it to be used as a primary course text.

    Malcolm Finney is an Assistant Professor at California State University, Long Beach. His primary research interests are similarities and differences between the processes of first and second language acquisition, and implications for second language instruction. He also does some research work on pidgin and Creole linguistics.