How important is it for the teacher of English as a Second Language or Foreign language to have knowledge of English language (morphology, phonology, syntax, semantics, speech acts)? Cite theories on language learning and teaching and concrete examples. You may base the theories from your report or other sources.
If we were to hold the notion “What teachers know and can do are the most important influence on what students learn” as the main premise, then the obvious answer to the above question is --- It is indeed very important.
As what I always urge, it is important to continue working on strengthening the ‘Basics’ of English as these will serve as our framework and reference for teaching. Our knowledge on these ‘Basics’ such as Morphology, Phonology, Syntax, Semantics, Speech Acts, etc. will guide us in redefining the English language in such a way that it can be incorporated in the growing demands of today’s society which will result to a more challenging coursework and a higher standard for graduation. It is necessary that we understand what these concepts are, how they came to be and their significance to learning as well as teaching the English language. For instance, a teacher who has a limited understanding of the concept of Phonology will fail to comprehend the different aspects of meaning created by the variety of speech sounds. Because of this, he will not be able to differentiate and clearly explain the rising intonation of “Maybe tomorrow” versus the rising-falling intonation of ‘Maybe tomorrow”. Or maybe a teacher who cared less about Phonetics will not be able to share the correct pronunciation of the uncommon word “panacea” because he did not know how to read the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) affixed to the dictionary he consulted. Or even a teacher who was simply contented with the literal meaning of a word and probably viewed Semantics as another gabble created by lonely Linguists who did not have anything better to do with their time, will neglect to understand the different dimensions of meaning attached to the word which will result to miscommunication or confusion later on.
The focal point is, our students are who they are because of what we teach them. If we have some ideas about the supposed ‘Basics’, we might probably be able to teach them some English. If we have a limited insight about the same ‘Basics’, then we have a limited capability to teach them English that borders on mediocrity. However, if we have a broad understanding and knowledge of the ‘Basics’ and we continue expanding this knowledge then we will be able to extensively educate our students and benchmark their performance from acceptable to highly accomplished.
By thoroughly making them aware of the concepts, our students will take great care in communicating with others, hence, they will speak and write more effectively and eloquently. Let us take the Language Model for discerning the importance of studying meaning as an example. In analyzing the process and specifying the steps on how meaning was derived (Thought – Word – Set of Words – Message – Meaning), we were able to understand why Semantics existed and why there was a need to study meaning. Because of this, different concepts were created to better explain the various facets of meaning which allowed us to appropriately identify and interpret words, statement and events accordingly; thereby became better communicators.
In conclusion, the ‘Basics’ being referred to are the linchpins for transforming current systems of preparation and ongoing development so that they can better support learning. They can bring clarity and focus to a set of ideas that are poorly connected and/or often badly organized. And a teacher of English as a Second/Foreign Language who has a rich understanding of them will be able to know how to reveal the subject matter to his students and will also know how to combine this knowledge with the preconceptions that his students typically bring to the classroom.
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