Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Language awareness. |
| Authors: |
Garrett, Peter, James, Carl |
| Source: |
Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching & Learning. 2000, p330-333. 4p. |
| Subject Terms: |
*Language awareness, *Phonological awareness, *Language & languages, *Cognition, *Comprehension, Psycholinguistics |
| Abstract: |
The article presents a discussion on language awareness (LA). LA is defined in the Association for Language Awareness constitution as an explicit knowledge about language and conscious perception and sensitivity in language learning, language teaching and language use. This broad definition allows LA to extend into areas that include literature, medical contexts, folklinguistics and translation. However, LA is seen as a state of mind that emerges when one focuses systematically on language and transcends one's tacit understandings of language by focusing on representations that can be made explicit. LA implies having access to knowledge about one's linguistic knowledge. It thus counters the behaviourist approach to language learning which proscribes teaching about language and emphasises learning language repertoires. LA work is inductive and reflective. Learners typically undertake small-scale nontechnical investigations of language and language learning. LA's development is often identified with Great Britain, but others point to parallel progress in Europe and elsewhere, with various idiosyncrasies reflected in different labels. |
| Database: |
Education Research Complete |
