Knowledge About Language in the Mother Tongue and Foreign Language Curricula

Abstract

This chapter discusses the notion of “knowledge about language” (KAL) as a fundamental issue in the design and implementation of pedagogic action in language teaching. After reviewing the origin of the notion in the development of language education policies in England during the last quarter of the twentieth century, it considers two main strands in the study of KAL: educational and psycholinguistic. The educational strand aims to improve the teaching of first, second, and foreign languages. The psycholinguistic strand tends to be associated with the field of second-language acquisition, and it places greater emphasis on the learning rather than the teaching process. Work in progress connected with KAL presents a dominance of studies carried out in situations of formal second/ foreign language teaching and a balanced focus between structural and social/ cultural aspects of language. From a methodological perspective, the study on KAL relies on the application of testing tools with a quantitative orientation, followed by classroom observation and interviewing. Some of the main difficulties connected with the role of KAL in language pedagogy are connected with its integration within a communication-oriented approach and the degree of explicit metalinguistic knowledge involved. Future directions in the study of KAL include detailed analyses of how learners engage with language in particular situations, a continuation of the interest in the role of KAL in language teacher training, and the development of the learners’ capacity to reflect upon language and culture as an essential aspect of critical pedagogies aiming at multilingual and intercultural education. J.