The idea of grammar as a "liberating force" comes from a paper by Henry Widdowson (1990) in which grammar is depicted as a resource which liberates the language user from an over-dependency on lexis and context for the expression of meaning. In this paper, I consider the implications for second language teaching of the notion of grammar as a…

Investigates an aspect of teacher talk--the teacher's provision of feedback or follow-up--and the role it plays in English-as-a-Second/Foreign Language classroom discourse. Draws on transcript data from a secondary school classroom in Tanzania to illustrate a teacher's follow-up moves, where these moves form the third part of a chain of…

Discusses an approach to analyzing teacher talk in second-language classrooms that assumes communicative classrooms are characterized by teacher talk reflecting external communication patterns. Argues that this analysis is over-simplistic, ignoring the reality of the classroom context and the features that make for effective communication within…

Outlines a model for an inservice teacher training course in which language improvement is the central element, unlike more traditional English language teaching (ELT) programs for nonnative speakers, which emphasize ELT skills training, grammar, and phonology. In this model, the experience of language learning provides the input for skills…