This study analyzed hypothetical would-clauses presented in Korean high school English textbooks from two perspectives: real language use and Focus on Form approach. Initiated by an interest in the results of a corpus study, this study discussed hypothetical would-clauses in terms of how their descriptions in Korean EFL textbooks matched real language use. This study additionally investigated whether the textbooks presented the target language features in ways recommended by the Focus on Form approach. In the past few decades, authentic language use and the Focus on Form approach have received a great amount of attention in the SLA field. Recognizing the trend in SLA as well as necessities in Korean EFL education, the Korean government has incorporated these two into the current 7th curriculum. Such condition provided the momentum for the evaluation of the textbooks in these respects. The findings show that the language features were hardly supplemented by the information drawn from real language data. In addition, there were very few attempts to draw learner attention to language forms while keeping them focused on communication as recommended by Focus on Form approach. With increasing use of the English language, it is becoming more necessary for Korean EFL learners to use English in real life contexts where understanding correct nuances and delivering appropriate expressions may be important. Also, in EFL contexts like Korea, the students may have limited access to the target language input and little opportunities to produce outputs in extracurricular settings, so the integrated methodology of Focus on Form approach, rather than just using either one of structure-centered or meaning-oriented approach, would be of greater benefit to the students. However, the results strongly indicate that the textbooks neither incorporate the language features as they occur in naturally occurring language nor present them as to facilitate the learning of both form and meaning. This study suggests that greater use of real language data and more thorough application of Focus on Form methods in the textbook writing process should be seriously considered. Thus, this study could be useful for curriculum developers and textbook writers in creating curriculum and language materials concerning the incorporation of grammar patterns based on actual language use as well as in improving textbooks with respect to the Focus on Form approach.

Vocabulary is a crucial component for language acquisition and EFL lessons are often dictated by the usage of textbooks and workbooks. The current study therefore aims to investigate how effective textbooks are in helping learners acquire high, mid, and low-frequency words as well as to what degree high and mid-frequency words are repeated throughout the textbooks. Additionally, the study explores the types of exercises presented in the EFL teaching materials, with a particular focus on the extent to which they promote learners' active engagement and use of the vocabulary presented. The findings suggest that EFL teaching materials could benefit from more comprehensive and systematic approaches to vocabulary instruction, which emphasize the active use and recycling of high and mid-frequency words in meaningful contexts. The present study recommends that teaching materials and EFL teachers incorporate more varied and interactive exercises that promote learners’ active engagement and use of the target vocabulary. Additionally, the study uses corpus-based methods to investigate the frequency level of text bodies compiled from EFL textbooks targeting sixth-grade pupils in Sweden. Furthermore, the accompanying workbooks are examined to establish the types of exercises pupils are exposed to through their use. In addition, the study suggests that teachers using the included teaching materials should incorporate additional vocabulary exercises in their EFL instructions to promote the repetition of words found in the textbooks.

South African indigenous language teaching and learning materials do not provide sufficient information to help additional language learners learn the target languages effectively. While there are institutions that are tasked with developing and sharpening the skills of students in speaking South African indigenous languages, such students hardly, if at all master the art of speaking them eloquently. Students who study these languages in order to converse proficiently with their mother-tongue speakers experience insurmountable difficulties, in spite of various efforts made by the teachers who train them to read books on their own. Passing their examinations does not mean that the students’ ability to communicate with mother-tongue speakers will improve to the extent of eliminating the prevailing misunderstanding between the two groups. The persistence of this problem reveals a discrepancy between the studies of indigenous languages in South Africa and the way of speaking them, whereby important linguistic elements that make communication more authentic are excluded in language materials. This study analyses the use and significance of CIFWs in daily interactions by investigating the two Xhosa CIFWs words wethu and bethu. The overall aim of this study is to explore the use of a corpus in the examination of CIFWs in general, and wethu and bethu in particular. Both a quantitative approach based on the Gothenburg-Unisa spoken corpus and a qualitative approach based on Allwoods’ ACA theoretical framework were used in the analysis and description of the functions and significances of wethu and bethu as communicative and interactive function words. / Linguistics / MA ((Applied Linguistics)

South African indigenous language teaching and learning materials do not provide sufficient information to help additional language learners learn the target languages effectively. While there are institutions that are tasked with developing and sharpening the skills of students in speaking South African indigenous languages, such students hardly, if at all master the art of speaking them eloquently. Students who study these languages in order to converse proficiently with their mother-tongue speakers experience insurmountable difficulties, in spite of various efforts made by the teachers who train them to read books on their own. Passing their examinations does not mean that the students’ ability to communicate with mother-tongue speakers will improve to the extent of eliminating the prevailing misunderstanding between the two groups. The persistence of this problem reveals a discrepancy between the studies of indigenous languages in South Africa and the way of speaking them, whereby important linguistic elements that make communication more authentic are excluded in language materials. This study analyses the use and significance of CIFWs in daily interactions by investigating the two Xhosa CIFWs words wethu and bethu. The overall aim of this study is to explore the use of a corpus in the examination of CIFWs in general, and wethu and bethu in particular. Both a quantitative approach based on the Gothenburg-Unisa spoken corpus and a qualitative approach based on Allwoods’ ACA theoretical framework were used in the analysis and description of the functions and significances of wethu and bethu as communicative and interactive function words. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / M.A. (Applied Linguistics)

Text in Afrikaans / This study investigates the opportunities provided in outcomes-based language textbooks to develop learners' full potential. This is done by looking at how learners' multiple intelligences can flourish. Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, which is used as a framework in the current study, claims that learners have different combinations of intelligences, and that the various intelligences can be developed. By doing so, learners are developed in their totality as knowledgeable, skilful and balanced adults. By giving learners a variety of activities which accommodate the different intelligences, they have the opportunity to use their strong intelligences in the language classroom. At the same time, learners are given the opportunity to expand their less developed intelligences. In this study, selected Afrikaans and English language textbooks are analysed to determine how the different intelligences are covered. Outcomes-based language textbooks are used because outcomes-based education deals with the development of learners' full potential. The assumption can be made that this approach to teaching and learning enables learners to develop their multiple intelligences. The study brings to light that only some intelligences receive attention in language textbooks, namely the linguistic, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, intrapersonal and spatial intelligences. On the other hand, other intelligences get little or even no attention in the textbooks that were analysed, namely the bodily-kinesthetic, naturalistic and musical intelligences. In spite of the important role that music plays in language teaching, it appears that the musical intelligence is afforded the least attention of all the intelligences in seven of the eight textbooks that were analysed. As a result, learners' uniqueness in this regard is not respected, and their total development as knowledgeable, skilful and balanced human beings can therefore be hindered. Recommendations are made regarding the curriculum, teaching practice and teacher training, and are directed to stakeholders in the writing of textbooks. The recommendations make it clear that different aspects of all the intelligences should be taken into consideration in the development of textbooks and other learning materials for language teaching and, by implication, teaching in general. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

This thesis is about certain varieties of isiXhosa and their apparent influence on English and vice versa. IsiXhosa is a language mainly spoken in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces of the Republic of South Africa. The study concentrates on certain varieties of isiXhosa that are spoken in the Eastern Cape Province. These varieties are isiBhaca, isiHlubi, isiMpondo, isiThembu and isiGcaleka. IsiGcaleka happens to be the standard variety. A map is provided to illustrate where these varieties are spoken. The study looks at the learners’ texts which are written in isiXhosa and English. The learners who wrote these texts are in Grades 8 and 9 from selected schools in the areas of Mzimkhulu, Matatiele, Mbizana, Ngcobo and Butterworth. It is worth mentioning that Mzimkhulu has since been moved from the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu/Natal. The learners’ texts are analyzed and comments are provided for each analysis. The study also looks at how educators in selected schools relate with their learners when teaching both isiXhosa and English. Observations are made from the relationship between the educators and learners when the learners are taught isiXhosa and English. The study also looks at the debate between standard and non-standard variety. Based on the discussion of both the standard variety and non-standard variety it is the view of the researcher that this notion of “standard” and “non-standard” needs to be challenged on all fronts. This is so because standardization occurs as a result of historical coincidence. The study further looks at the Language and Planning issues in the Republic of South Africa. It is important to note that language is the key to the heart of any nation and therefore whatever that is discussed about language should be sensitive to the people speaking that language.The study concludes with the fact that there is a need to train educators especially those who are going to teach African Languages. There is also a need to undertake studies on learners’ needs so that those who design the school curricula must do so knowing what is relevant to the learners in general. / African Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

published_or_final_version / English Studies / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:47:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luciano Magnoni Tocaia.pdf: 28460271 bytes, checksum: d92446babf9568f71bd11b2abdfdedbd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-12 / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / This thesis aims at studying, as a discourse, the Brazilian and French primary language-teaching textbook. It will observe different kinds of strategies used by the utterer to persuade the reader and make the latter believe in the former s discourse. Among these strategies, we intend to understand, in the analyzed discourse, themes and figures that reproduce the social imaginary and help in the creation of an image of the actor of enunciation. The concrete image to which the discourse aims traces the way the subject is conceived in the world. The theoretical and methodological bases for this study are grounded in the French discourse semiotics as presented by Greimas (1983, 1994), Greimas & Courtés (2011), Barros (2002a, 2008), Fiorin (2008a, 2008b, 2009) and also the concept of discursive genre as presented by Bakhtin (2006). In addition, it will be taken concepts from French Discourse Analysis (Maingueneau, 1995, 1997a, 1997b, 2001, 2008), History of Linguistic Ideas (Barros, 2007, 2010, 2011; Leite, 2005) and Mother Tongue Didactic (Simard, Dufays, Dolz, Garcia-Leblanc, 2010). The analyzed textbooks were chosen according to a selling criteria provided in Brazil by Fundo Nacional de Desenvolvimento da Educação (National Education Development Fund), and by the publishers in France. In the development of this thesis, firstly, we analyzed questions of discursive syntax using a specific chapter in each book, and verifying later if that chapter contains all the others. Secondly, we turned our attention to the whole book observing questions of discursive semantics. In the range of the analyzed books, the results point to two distinct possibilities to conceive textbooks discourse in Brazil and France, as well as the construction of two different paradigms of culture. / Esta tese pretende estudar o livro didático para o ensino de língua materna como um discurso, no Brasil e na França, e analisar os diferentes tipos de estratégias discursivas utilizadas pelo enunciador para persuadir o enunciatário, para fazê-lo crer em seu discurso. Entre essas estratégias, visamos a depreender nos discursos analisados temas e figuras que reproduzem nos textos o imaginário social, além de ajudarem a construir a imagem do ator da enunciação, imagem concreta a que se destina o discurso e que orienta o modo de presença do sujeito no mundo. O quadro teórico-metodológico desse estudo é o da semiótica discursiva de linha francesa, tal como proposta por Greimas (1983, 1994), Greimas &Courtés (2011), Barros (2002a, 2008), Fiorin (2008a, 2008b, 2009), e também a noção de gênero discursivo discutida por Bakhtin (2006). Juntam-se a esse quadro teórico principal, noções advindas da Análise do discurso de linha francesa (Maingueneau, 1995, 1997a, 1997b, 2001, 2008), da História das ideias linguísticas (Barros, 2007, 2010, 2011; Leite, 2005) e da Didática de língua materna (Simard, Dufays, Dolz, Garcia-Leblanc, 2010). A escolha dos livros didáticos analisados se deu mediante o critério de vendas de acordo com dados fornecidos, no Brasil, pelo Fundo Nacional de Desenvolvimento da Educação, e na França, por editoras. Analisou-se, neste trabalho, em um primeiro momento, para as questões de sintaxe discursiva, uma unidade de cada livro didático, verificando em que medida essa unidade contém as demais; em um segundo momento, para questões de semântica discursiva, voltou-se um olhar às obras em sua totalidade. No cotejo dos livros didáticos analisados, os resultados apontam tanto para duas formas distintas de conceber o discurso do livro didático, no Brasil e na França, quanto para a construção de paradigmas distintos de cultura.

published_or_final_version / Language Studies / Master / Master of Arts