Literature as Media for Developing Language Competence and Building Social Awareness
Literature as Media for Developing Language Competence and Building Social Awareness
By Fatchul Mu’in
Faculty of Teacher Training and Education
Lambung Mangkurat University Banjarmasin
E-mail: muin_sihyar@yahoo.com
Literature is a kind of the artwork which uses a language as a medium. If it said that literature is a language in one side, learning literature is, at the same time, learning a language in the other side. English literature is literature written in English language. In this relation, learning English literature is, at the same time, learning English language. If literature talks about human life, by using literary works we can learn and build our social awareness, and at almost the same time we can contribute to nation character building. In this paper, the writer offers the mechanism of how the literary works can be used to develop language competence (in listening, speaking, reading and writing) and the advantages of learning the literary works in relation to the social awareness building or nation character building.
Key words: literature, language, language competence, social awareness, and character building
Introduction
In the English language learning and teaching, there are four language skills to be developed: listening, speaking, reading and writing. In this paper, why and how a language teacher should use literary texts in the language classroom, what sort of literature language teachers should use with language learners, literature and the teaching of language skills, and benefits of different genres of literature to language teaching will be taken into account. Thus, the place of literature as a tool rather than an end in teaching English as a second or foreign language will be unearthed. The material of literature is something very general, such as ‘human life’. This implies that literature can deal with every human activity, or human experience. Some of these activities are peculiar, some are more widespread, and some
By Fatchul Mu’in
Faculty of Teacher Training and Education
Lambung Mangkurat University Banjarmasin
E-mail: muin_sihyar@yahoo.com
Literature is a kind of the artwork which uses a language as a medium. If it said that literature is a language in one side, learning literature is, at the same time, learning a language in the other side. English literature is literature written in English language. In this relation, learning English literature is, at the same time, learning English language. If literature talks about human life, by using literary works we can learn and build our social awareness, and at almost the same time we can contribute to nation character building. In this paper, the writer offers the mechanism of how the literary works can be used to develop language competence (in listening, speaking, reading and writing) and the advantages of learning the literary works in relation to the social awareness building or nation character building.
Key words: literature, language, language competence, social awareness, and character building
Introduction
In the English language learning and teaching, there are four language skills to be developed: listening, speaking, reading and writing. In this paper, why and how a language teacher should use literary texts in the language classroom, what sort of literature language teachers should use with language learners, literature and the teaching of language skills, and benefits of different genres of literature to language teaching will be taken into account. Thus, the place of literature as a tool rather than an end in teaching English as a second or foreign language will be unearthed. The material of literature is something very general, such as ‘human life’. This implies that literature can deal with every human activity, or human experience. Some of these activities are peculiar, some are more widespread, and some
Bibliography: Fatchul Mu’in. 2010. White Racism in Native Son. Banjarbaru : Scripta Cendekia. Juliana Tirajoh Frederik. `988. English Poetry. Jakarta : Dirjend Dikti Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies Vol.1, No.1, April 2005 www.communityofcaring.org/ServicesAndResources/Battistich%20Paper.pdf