Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening – Flashcards
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Product Approach
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An approach to writing where the focus is on the final text produced, often after analysing and imitating a model text of the same sort.
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Process Approach
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An approach to writing where the stages followed in order to produce the final text are of paramount importance.
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Genre
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A piece of writing with a recognisable structure which may be used by a particular section of society or within a particular profession. It is likely to have a clearly-discernible structure and layout and may employ instantly recognisable language. Examples include newspaper reports, recipes, horoscopes, travel guides, memos etc.
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Script
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A system of writing which employs a set of recognisable characters, such as Roman, Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, Chinese etc.
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Appropriacy
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This refers to selecting subject matter, register and language suitable to a given context. Selecting something inappropriate may result in offending the listener (or reader). 'What?' for 'Pardon?' is often considered to be inappropriate in many contexts.
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Accuracy
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The extent to which language follows the 'rules' of the standard variety of a language. In language teaching, it is linked to grammatical form: 'He have two brothers' would be considered inaccurate when compared with standard usage.
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Complexity
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A learner's language can be considered complex if it shows features of more advanced usage than more basic. An Upper Intermediate learner, for example, may be accurate and fluent, but if they repeat the adjective 'nice' their language does not display much complexity (at least in that area).
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Paragraph
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A subdivision of a larger text, (usually) comprised of a number of sentences. Paragraphs usually begin with a topic sentence which is then developed.
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Coherence
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This is making a text 'make sense'. If a text is incoherent, it is difficult to see any logical progression from sentence to sentence.
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Intensive Reading
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Scutenising short texts for specific information.
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Extensive Reading
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Reading longer texts.
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Top-down Processing
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involves the reader focusing on getting an overview of the text, on getting the "big picture", on understanding generally what is being said rather than looking at the text at a micro level.
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Bottom-up Processing
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The reader stops and looks at individual words or structures to understand what the writer is saying to facilitate understanding at a more global level.
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Interactive Reading
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Where both top-down and bottom-up processing occurs simultaneously.
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Skimming
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Involves reading a complete text quickly in order to gain an overview of the meaning of the whole piece, such as reading the back cover of a book to see whether it appeals to us.
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Scanning
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Requires reading a text in order to extract salient details but notnecessarily an overview of the whole text - what we do when looking for an item on a list, for example.
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Developing Skills
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Requires the teacher to show the students how to read better. It may involve asking them to process a text in a particular way and then reflect on what they did and how effective it was.
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Testing Skills
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Involves getting the students to provide answers based on (say) comprehension questions from the text in order to assess their proficiency in reading.
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Atomistic Approach
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This approach views that reading can be broken down into discrete sub-skills which can, and should, be developed separately.
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Systemic Knowledge
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This is a learner's knowledge of lexis and grammar which helps them interpret a text and is imperative in bottom-up interpretation.
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Schemata
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This is a reader's knowledge of the wider world and of different situations, contexts and genres, and how these are likely to influence the development (and language employed) in a text. It is vital for top-down processing.
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Holistic Approach
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This approach suggests that reading skills cannot be fragmented.
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Transactional
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Uses of language that are primarily for communicating information
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Interactional
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Listening whose primary aim is to establish, maintain or build social relationships. There is little real exchange of facts or information.
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Instrumental
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Listening when we have a clear aim e.g. an announcement at an airport.
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Pleasurable
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Listening for enjoyment e.g. radio etc
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Extensive Listening
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Listening that doesn't involve testing a learner's understanding of the context e.g. watching a drama.
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Intensive Listening
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Listening with a clearly defined aim in class e.g. to study a text.
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Interactive Listening
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Listening in a conversation where the listener is also a speaker.
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Non-interactive Listening
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Listening where the listener doesn't have a chance to speak.
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Fluency
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The learner's capacity to produce language in real time without undue pausing or hesitation.
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Adjacency Pairs
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It refers to two utterances, one following the other, where the second is clearly related to the first e.g. 'Bye! See you' 'Yes, take care'
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Turn-taking
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This has to do with who speaks, when and for how long.
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Openings and closings
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These are the expressions or ways we use to either initiate or end a conversation.
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Phatic Communication
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Communication with an aim to doing business or generally getting things done eg 'How much do you want for that?' 'Can you arrange a meeting for next Tuesday?'
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Back Channelling
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Verbal signals given by the listener to show interest, attention, surprise etc.
