A Functional- Notional Approach to Language Learning

MARMARA UNIVERSITY DEPARTMANT OF ELT MA PROGRAMME

YDIO 703 APPROACHES AND METHODS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING

Submitted by Buket Demirbüken

Fall 2013, İstanbul

Contents

Drawbacks

3

Historical Background1

Reasons for Optimism4

1

3 Merits Theoratical Bases3

Main components2

Critics 5

Historical Background In 1972, British linguist D.A. Wilkims published a

document to describe language to an analysis of the communicative meanings.

In 1976 Notional Syllabuses work followed it.

Wilkins’ work was used by Council of Europe in drawing up a communicative language syllabus.

In 1970s, first books based on functional syllabuses began to appear.

BASIC CLAIMS

Functional- Notional approach focuses on the purposes for which language is used. It emphasizes communicative purposes of a speech act.

It underlines what people want to do or what they want to accomplish .

The Functional Notional Approach helps learners to use real and appropriate language for communication.

The basic communicative purposes can be expressed in two ways, depending on the function;

Either formulas, fixed expressions Communicative or functional expressions

What is function?

Function is the communicative act ; it is the use of language to achieve a purpose;

inviting sb, writing an apology, ordering, promising, greeting…

EXAMPLES

FUNCTION: Greeting (informal) ‘Hello’ ( formal) ‘ Good evening’ FUNCTION: Leave-taking (informal) ‘ So long’ or ‘bye’ (formal) ‘ Goodbye’ FUNCTION: acknowledging an introduction (informal) ‘ Please to meet you’ (formal) ‘ How do you do?’ FUNCTION: expressing and acknowledging gratitude (formal/informal) ‘Thank you’ ‘You are welcome’

In English , formulas are fixed. In other languages fixed formulas also exist but not necessarily in the same social situation.

For example; Italian and Turkish

What is NOTION ?

It is important that functional language must also incorporate with specific notions ;

vocabulary, nouns,verbs, adjectives, adverbs, structure verbs, miscellaneous words.

The words following the functional expression would be considered notions.

A notion is a concept, or idea and it may be quite specific, such as a vocabulary (dog, house, for example); or it may be very general – size, emotion, movement,place

A notion may be “time past”; this may include past tenses, phrases like a month ago, in 1990, last week, and utterances using temporal clauses beginning with when….., before…., after…. and so on;

universal linguistic structural and phenomena; time, space,quantity, vocabulary motion, matter, case and deixis. items

The notion of time , the notion of place …

Notion

For example; ‘ I’d like to invite your son to come to my club for lunch on Saturday.’

Specific notions depend on three major factors;

a. the function b. the elements in the situation c. the topic which is being discussed

Situation includes;

The persons taking part in the speech act

The place where the conversation occurs

The time it is taking place

The topic or activity which is being discussed.

The function+ the situation + the topic

What are exponents ?

Exponents are language utterances or statements

which stem from the function, the situation and the topic.

They are language forms a speaker uses to express a message or indicate social roles, formality, informality.

Exponents are mostly depend on our personalities, level of linguistic competence, social statue..

Possible exponents in one example;

Please open the window Open the window, please. Would you open the window? Would you mind opening the window? I wonder if you would mind opening the window ?

It might be a good idea to open the window.

Also, variations of language result from dialects, informality, formality, mode, wishes..

+ + >

communicative people nouns expressions and / or place verbs

formulas time adj/ adv topic structure words michellaneous words

Function SituationSpecific Notions

Unit-Credit System ( How are topics organized? )

1. Functions are classified and put into units or modules.

2. Units can be limited to specific duties such as serve as a receptionist in a doctor’s office.

3. They are specific as global content but free as to internal organization and mode of presentation

4. Units will specificy general grammatical, lexical, notional-semantic items; that is , meaningful and appropriate use in context or social situations.

Sample Unit Function: Making an appointment,persuading,refusing 1 2 3A,B.Greetings A.Asking for an appointmentB.Accepting B. Refusing B.RefusingA,B.Making A. Persuading A.Persuading arrangements B. Accepting B. Adamant refusalA,B. Leavetaking A,B. Making A. Angry arrangement interchange A,B Leavetaking A,B. Cold leavetaking

SITUATUION (Notion) FUNCTION ACTUAL LANGUAGE LANGUAGE PATTERNS and TENSES

Getting things connectede.g. gas, phone, TV.Rent-payment–contractBuying furniture –Second-hand, markets, auctions, small ads.Paying bills-when and how.At the door: milkman, dustman, salesman.Repair-plumber, electrician.Making appointments,Electotal Register.

Understanding and asking for information..Understanding directions and local information.Expressing intentions.Declining.Giving information.Making requests to.

I’m looking for a large wardrobe.What sort of price did you have in mind?Have you got anything cheaper?I’m moving to... Can I have the gas/electricity connected, please?What’s your address?It’s £70 deposit.Hello, I’m the…Could I see your identification, please?Where can I get a…?Are you interested in…?No, not today, thank you

I’m looking for…Have you got…?Could I have…?Can I…?Can you tell me…?Would you like…?Sorry, I…Comparatives/AdjetivesWhere can I…? (+ infinitive without to)

LEXIS LITERACY SYSTEM AIDS and MATERIALSNames of households items, including plugs, etc.Equipment.Names of local institutionse.g. clinic, library.

Reading bills, final demands, meter and filling in estimated bills, checking meter readings.Library-Section headingsForm-fillingsReading contracts.

Types of shops best for certain items.Where to buy what.Use of the telephone for buying, inquiring.Filling bills and receips.Guarantees.What is delivered-milk, etc.How and when to pay bills.Where to get local information-library, rent officer,Legal centre.Asking for identification from strangers at the door.Meaning of deposit.Meaning of electoral register.

Simplified maps of locality – grading up to actual maps.Simplified and graded gas bills and meter readings.«7 days a week» Pack Tapes – of dialogues situtaions.

The same function may repeatedly occur in different situations at succeeding units so there is a cyclical order.

Grading is very difficult so it is expected that performance tests are used instead of achievement test.

Theoretical Bases

F-N approach combines ‘communicative grammar’ with cognitivisim and humanism.

The primary focus is the learner and the function or functions of language- the communicative purpose s/he wishes to express and to understand.

Varied sociolinguistic situations are taken into considerations.

Social roles, psychological attitudes of participants, the place, time, the activity, topic are all discussed .

Communicative behaviour is always situationally conditioned. On that point, there are three factors underlie speech acts;

a. the functions b. the varieties of language c. the shared sociocultural allusions - presupposition-

Categories of Functions

Personal

Interpersonal

Directive

Referential

Imaginative

Varieties of Language Geographical factors Social factors Status in the community or nation Differences related to social classes Educational background Register; a.) formality, informality b.) the topic,

activity, work or profession c.) the mode-oral or written-of the course.

Code-switching ; a person’s individual use of the language or dialect.

Ex: A doctor use a casual, informal register at home while using a formal register at a professional dinner.

Cultural Knowledge

F-N curriculum provides implicit and explicit information for learning of culture .

radio broadcasts, television, tapes, cassettes, documentaries, films, pictures, short illustrated dialogues, real-life situations. Curriculum set realistic objectives as

paralinguistic feature of languages , gestures, convey meaning to listeners.

Ex: cultural insights for immigrants cultural immersion – explicit information

Psycholinguistic Components F-N curriculum takes cognizance;

Basic needs of learners ; need for survival Threshold Level, self-realization, general competency or advanced.

Self – motivating; social, vocational, cultural needs of learners

Individual differences: varying abilities: cyclical or spiral approach.

Linguistics

F-N approach will provide learner to acquire a reasonable, basic knowledge of the phonological, grammatical and lexical subsystems of the language and the use of language in actual communication.

Encoding and decoding a message; appropriateness, acceptability

Oral or written communication Gestures and other paralinguistic features

Pyschological Bases

Related material with needs and experiences of the learners

Student motivation Meaningful material through their use in real

life Active participation of learner depending on

learning strategies Make a realitionship among the elements in

language, situation and culture. Different learning styles and rates of learning Time for transfer of learning

Educational Principles Transfer of learning is not always automatic A spiral and cyclical approach is recommended. The curriculum is divided into units and modules The starting point is the communicative function and

the social situation in which situation or purpose is being expressed.

The title of the units is expressed in functional terms The same function may be presented in different

situations The grammar and vocabulary to be taught in each

unit result from the integration of function and situation.

In F-N curriculum ,a number of different functions may be clustered in one unit.

In the F-N approach grammatical structure and function do not overlap. The same structure may be used to express more than one function of language.

Concepts and language needed in social studies, geography, mathematics, art, music and literature are integrated into the curriculum.

Units contain linguistics and cultural materials the learners will need for sociocultural and sociovocational purposes

Reasons for Optimism It sets realistic learning tasks. It provides everyday, real world language in a variety

of sociocultural situations. It emphasizes the need for numerous, varied and

receptive activities. The language used should be based on a situation or

setting. The speaker must have a real purpose to talk about.

The act of communication is motivating as it expresses basic, universal communicative functions of language.

It enables teachers refer to psycholinguistic, sociolinguistic, linguistic and educational principles

It does not insist upon mastery of any body material presented.

It makes provision through a unit and module system for admission to certain programs at any time during the year.

In F-N approach grammatical structure and function do not overlap. There is no obligatory one to one relationship.

A debatable issue

Some linguists and notably Halliday developed a theory of language showing how the formal grammatical patterns reflect the functions of language structure.

No pedagogical use and not formulated

There is an arbitrary relationship between function and grammar.

Form and FunctionMeaning of an utterance is derived from the whole situation and not from words and sentences used in isolation

Request It’s cold here Would you ease

close the door I wonder if some one

could close the door You have left the

door open

Suggestion Statement Requesting Threat

Critics

Dividing language into items is aganist the nature of language

It neglects linguistic items and gives more attention to fixed expressions and formulas

Grading is problematic and subjective.