MORE THAN WORDS: TEXT MATTERS IN LANGUAGE LEARNING

In this paper, I discuss one possible line of approach towards enabling learners to develop their appreciation of the linguistic resources that contribute to the creation of discourse as well as their control of language use at the discourse level. I argue that texts, spoken or written, are critical language learning resources and that they need to be selectively employed and connected with well-developed tasks to provide supporting frameworks within which opportunities for language learning can be maximized. The interplay between text, task and reflection is emphasized and student feedback on the proposed approach is considered. The discussion in this paper complements most other discussion on discourse analysis which is concerned solely with spoken interaction as reflected in such approaches as exchange structure and conversation analysis (e.g., McCarthy Walsh, 2003; see also Cook, 2011).