H.G. WIDDOWSON, Learning Purpose and Language Use

Over the last decade or so, language teaching has been evolving in two major ways: by trying to improve the language content of its courses, and by trying to improve the exercises. Although these strands of development are not mutually incompatible, the emphasis on language content has perhaps been greater. More recently, however, the methodological side has started to attract more attention, and the present book is a contribution to this line of development. Although he calls it "only a framework, a construct for convenience" Widdowson sets out to integrate theory of language ability, types of course and methodology, and relate the whole to educational theory, thus engaging in an important task for the language teaching profession.Over the last decade or so, language teaching has been evolving in two major ways: by trying to improve the language content of its courses, and by trying to improve the exercises. Although these strands of development are not mutually incompatible, the emphasis on language content has perhaps been greater. More recently, however, the methodological side has started to attract more attention, and the present book is a contribution to this line of development. Although he calls it "only a framework, a construct for convenience" Widdowson sets out to integrate theory of language ability, types of course and methodology, and relate the whole to educational theory, thus engaging in an important task for the language teaching profession

Literature and the experience of the foreign language

The two quotations above, one by a literaty critic, the other by a specialist in language learning, agree on one important point: that in language learning as in literature, the choice of expression is itself significant. In reflections on the learning of a foreign language and its literature, it is appropriate to consider the relationship between literary and non-literary language. Too often these two manifestations of language are considered distinct. Our academic discussions of the two areas are, significantly, themselves couched in two quite different types of language, creating a terminological frontier which neither side dares to cross. Whether this is in fact desirable for the two areas is one question that this article intends to discuss. Another is whether the division is healthy for the student who strays into our respective territories.The two quotations above, one by a literaty critic, the other by a specialist in language learning, agree on one important point: that in language learning as in literature, the choice of expression is itself significant. In reflections on the learning of a foreign language and its literature, it is appropriate to consider the relationship between literary and non-literary language. Too often these two manifestations of language are considered distinct. Our academic discussions of the two areas are, significantly, themselves couched in two quite different types of language, creating a terminological frontier which neither side dares to cross. Whether this is in fact desirable for the two areas is one question that this article intends to discuss. Another is whether the division is healthy for the student who strays into our respective territories

Increasing frailty is associated with higher prevalence and reduced recognition of delirium in older hospitalised inpatients: results of a multi-centre study

Purpose: Delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder delineated by an acute change in cognition, attention, and consciousness. It is common, particularly in older adults, but poorly recognised. Frailty is the accumulation of deficits conferring an increased risk of adverse outcomes. We set out to determine how severity of frailty, as measured using the CFS, affected delirium rates, and recognition in hospitalised older people in the United Kingdom. Methods: Adults over 65 years were included in an observational multi-centre audit across UK hospitals, two prospective rounds, and one retrospective note review. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), delirium status, and 30-day outcomes were recorded. Results: The overall prevalence of delirium was 16.3% (483). Patients with delirium were more frail than patients without delirium (median CFS 6 vs 4). The risk of delirium was greater with increasing frailty [OR 2.9 (1.8–4.6) in CFS 4 vs 1–3; OR 12.4 (6.2–24.5) in CFS 8 vs 1–3]. Higher CFS was associated with reduced recognition of delirium (OR of 0.7 (0.3–1.9) in CFS 4 compared to 0.2 (0.1–0.7) in CFS 8). These risks were both independent of age and dementia. Conclusion: We have demonstrated an incremental increase in risk of delirium with increasing frailty. This has important clinical implications, suggesting that frailty may provide a more nuanced measure of vulnerability to delirium and poor outcomes. However, the most frail patients are least likely to have their delirium diagnosed and there is a significant lack of research into the underlying pathophysiology of both of these common geriatric syndromes

TBLT through the lens of applied linguistics

Ever since the establishment in the 1940’s of the distinguished journalLanguage Learning, a significant proportion of research in applied linguistics has defined itself as aiming to address practical problems of language teaching. Given the definition of applied linguistics as ‘the theoretical and empirical study of real world problems in which language has a central role’ (after Brumfit, 2001), an ambition to relate its work to practical language teaching problems is appropriate. Task-based language teaching is a subarea of applied linguistics which deliberately aims to link research to practice. With this in mind, this paper will seek to evaluate the extent to which TBLT research has to date engaged with — and helped address — the real world problems of language education. It then attempts to derive some implications for future directions of TBLT research as a part of an empirical applied linguistics.</jats:p

Some directions for the possible survival of TBLT as a real world project

Since Brumfit's landmark definition of applied linguistics as the theoretical and empirical study of real world problems in which language plays a central role (Brumfit, 2000), there have been periodic calls for applied linguistics to engage with problems experienced by people in real world contexts (such as teaching, health, business, law, social services, business or family), rather than problems of research methodology originating in the research community, and to work to address them, both in policy and practice (Bygate, 2004; Tarone, 2013, 2015; Shuy, 2015; Widdowson, 2017). This principle may well apply to all areas of applied linguistics, but in this piece I would like to explore it in relation to task-based language teaching (TBLT). This is because while TBLT is characteristically defined in terms of the needs and interests of language teachers and learners, it is also informed by research, which is heavily shaped by the priorities of the academy, an influence which can lead it away from some of its real world objectives. Yet if proponents fail to adequately address the priorities and needs of classroom stakeholders, proposals will be doomed to failure, a point acknowledged by many (see inter alia Gatbonton and Segalowitz (1988, 2005), Edwards and Willis (2005), Thornbury and Slade (2006), van den Branden (2006), Eckerth (2008), Andon and Eckerth (2009), Ellis (2009), Gatbonton (2015), Long (2015) and Samuda, Bygate, and van den Branden (2018)). That is, research needs to engage not just with models of second language acquisition (SLA), but with the practices, demands, pressures, and perspectives of stakeholders in real world language classrooms.</jats:p