Language for Special Purposes
Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies Vol.1, No.1, April 2005 Teaching English Through Literature Murat Hişmanoğlu Abstract
This paper aims at emphasizing the use of literature as a popular technique for teaching both basic language skills (i.e. reading, writing, listening and speaking) and language areas (i.e. vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation) in our times. Reasons for using literary texts in foreign language classroom and main criteria for selecting suitable literary texts in foreign language classes are stressed so as to make the reader familiar with the underlying reasons and criteria for language teachers’ using and selecting literary texts. Moreover, literature and the teaching of language skills, benefits of different genres of literature (i.e. poetry, short fiction, drama and novel) to language teaching and some problems encountered by language teachers within the area of teaching English through literature (i.e. lack of preparation in the area of literature teaching in TESL / TEFL programs, absence of clear-cut objectives defining the role of literature in ESL / EFL, language teachers’ not having the background and training in literature, lack of pedagogically-designed appropriate materials that can be used by language teachers in a classroom context) are taken into account. Key Words: Literature, Teaching Literature, The Teaching of Language Skills, Foreign Language Teaching, Literary Competence
Özet
Bu makale günümüzde hem temel dil becerilerinin (okuma, yazma, dinleme ve konuşma) hem de dil alanlarının (sözcükbilgisi, dilbilgisi ve telaffuz) öğretiminde sevilen bir teknik olarak edebiyatın kullanımını vurgulamayı amaçlamaktadır. Dil öğretmenlerinin edebi metinleri kullanmalarının ve seçmelerinin temelini oluşturan sebepleri ve ölçütleri okuyucuya tanıtmak amacıyla, yabancı dil sınıfında edebi metinler kullanmanın sebepleri ve yabancı dil sınıflarında uygun edebi metinler seçmenin temel ölçütleri vurgulanmaktadır. Üstelik, edebiyat ve
This paper aims at emphasizing the use of literature as a popular technique for teaching both basic language skills (i.e. reading, writing, listening and speaking) and language areas (i.e. vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation) in our times. Reasons for using literary texts in foreign language classroom and main criteria for selecting suitable literary texts in foreign language classes are stressed so as to make the reader familiar with the underlying reasons and criteria for language teachers’ using and selecting literary texts. Moreover, literature and the teaching of language skills, benefits of different genres of literature (i.e. poetry, short fiction, drama and novel) to language teaching and some problems encountered by language teachers within the area of teaching English through literature (i.e. lack of preparation in the area of literature teaching in TESL / TEFL programs, absence of clear-cut objectives defining the role of literature in ESL / EFL, language teachers’ not having the background and training in literature, lack of pedagogically-designed appropriate materials that can be used by language teachers in a classroom context) are taken into account. Key Words: Literature, Teaching Literature, The Teaching of Language Skills, Foreign Language Teaching, Literary Competence
Özet
Bu makale günümüzde hem temel dil becerilerinin (okuma, yazma, dinleme ve konuşma) hem de dil alanlarının (sözcükbilgisi, dilbilgisi ve telaffuz) öğretiminde sevilen bir teknik olarak edebiyatın kullanımını vurgulamayı amaçlamaktadır. Dil öğretmenlerinin edebi metinleri kullanmalarının ve seçmelerinin temelini oluşturan sebepleri ve ölçütleri okuyucuya tanıtmak amacıyla, yabancı dil sınıfında edebi metinler kullanmanın sebepleri ve yabancı dil sınıflarında uygun edebi metinler seçmenin temel ölçütleri vurgulanmaktadır. Üstelik, edebiyat ve
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