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1. Speech-act theory, upon which so much of so-called 'Communicative Language Teaching' (CLT) is based, has some importance and should not be ignored. Yet the engine of generative competence syntax is just as important. In fact, I would argue that it is even more so, just as I would argue that it is as wrong to ignore the teaching and/or study of syntax as it is to ignore the pragmatic acts of everyday language-use which are the focus of speech-act theory. In other words, the question is not 'Is syntax important' but 'How if at all can it be taught and learned in the study of any L2?' 2. I believe that texts typical, naturalistic (but not 'authentic') instances of every-day language use should be the central vehicle of my own teaching. Teaching and learning with and through texts makes it possible to study both the generative and pragmatic domains of language and also favours 'unconscious' learning. of language as text - language in context. 3. As important as systematic and regular study of the underlying generative system is, it is even more important to maintain the interest of learners and to give them a certain degree of confidence that they can and will learn the L2 to a reasonable degree of accuracy and fluency. Texts also make this possible, especially if they have 'narrative-drive' that is, if they arouse the interest of learners in what is going to happen next and what may have happened before the time-focus of the text. 4. Just as all good 'native-speaker' texts are directed at particular native-speakers and written, spoken and edited with a clear idea of what they are likely to understand and be interested in, so all good 'non-native' texts should be created with the same clear understanding of what those non-native speakers are likely to understand and be interested in. Such texts may be based to some degree on 'authentic' texts, but once any text is adapted or changed in some way, it is no longer 'authentic'. Authenticity for its own sake is an empty and irrelevant fetish. 5. It is essential for the text to be 'accessible'- so that learners do not spend too much time struggling simply to make sense of the text and all the words or structures they do not know. In real-life with our own language, we usually 'switch off' when we encounter such texts. Typical instances of 'authentic' speech acts and typical 'authentic texts taken from newspapers and other sources are often incomprehensible even to native-speakers when the background context is no longer 'here and now'. 6. Texts for classroom use need to be fairly short, so that there can be time in the lesson for various activities and exercises that encourage learners to use the language of the text and to modify it for their own purposes or the purposes of the lesson. Most typical newspaper articles, even from sources likes 'Newsweek', are simply too long. 7. The text is there not just to be read but to generate language use by the class, and to lead to further study. So it will almost always be adapted for these purposes and thus cease to be 'authentic'. Authentic materials in the narrow sense of the word are often boring and hardly ever as relevant or as useful as texts that have been skilfully-written for specific didactic aims. Of course, such texts are often based on 'authentic' materials. They should reflect different types of such texts just as they should be naturalistic and interesting. 8. The argument that texts should be 'authentic' is as superficial and misconceived as the belief that L2 learning can and should be like L1 learning. All genuine 'authentic' texts in the real world are created with definite purposes and for clearly perceived and defined audiences. Texts created or designed for classroom purposes must have their own purposes and their own clearly defined audiences, as well.
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