Defining issues in Ed Ling

[Dick Hudson]

Dan: Thanks. That's what I hoped you meant. That "rich repertoire of
linguistic choices" is the heart of the matter. What we need to understand
better is (a) what it is and (b) how to teach it. A challenging agenda, but
I think we're on the way (even if we're still far nearer the beginning of
the road than its end).
Dick

At 14:21 15/12/2003 -0600, you wrote:
>Dick:  You raise an important issue, and help clarify the problem, I
>think.  When I suggest that we need to understand the nature of language
>use in the educational context, I mean that we need to know more about not
>only the learners' language use, but what the expectations of the
>educational system are as well.  What is this "cognitive academic language
>proficiency" / school language we educational linguists are interested
>in?  Helping our learners develop a rich repertoire of linguistic choices,
>appropriate for the many contexts they'll find themselves negotiating as
>they move through the system and enter the workplace as adults is what
>we're about, it seems to me.
>
>Cheers,
>Dan
>
>At 07:26 PM 12/15/2003 +0000, you wrote:
>>Dear Dan,
>>I'm not sure what you mean by this:
>>>  The bottom line is understanding the nature of language use in the
>>> educational context, it seems to me, and, as you suggest, tests can be
>>> used to encourage teachers to discover the complex language systems
>>> pupils already control.
>>
>>You seem to be assuming that educational language is just a particular
>>way of using a child's existing language resources. While agreeing that
>>there has been a tendency for teachers to underestimate these resources,
>>I also think there's a danger of overestimating them. One of the
>>foundations for language work (in L1 English) over here in England is the
>>(Hallidayan) belief that those resources need to grow - schools teach new
>>language, in fact a very great deal of it. New vocabulary, new syntax and
>>new meanings that the children wouldn't have without schooling. Maybe you
>>wouldn't agree, but if you do, would that be covered by your "language use"?
>>
>>Dick
>>
>>Richard (= Dick) Hudson
>>
>>Phonetics and Linguistics, University College London,
>>Gower Street, London WC1E  6BT.
>>+44(0)20 7679 3152; fax +44(0)20 7383 4108;
>>http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/home.htm
>Professor, TESL/Applied Linguistics Program
>Co-editor, Language Testing
>English Department
>Iowa State University
>Ames, IA 50011, USA
>Phone: (515) 294-9365
>Fax: (515) 294-6814


Richard (= Dick) Hudson

Phonetics and Linguistics, University College London,
Gower Street, London WC1E  6BT.
+44(0)20 7679 3152; fax +44(0)20 7383 4108;
http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/home.htm
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