FrameNet as a resource to teach Spanish as a foreign language

Abstract

The advent of new technologies in our society has pervaded the field of language teaching. FrameNet is one of the tools whose potential for language teaching is still unexplored. In this chapter, I trace possible pedagogical implications and applications of the Spanish FrameNet in the Spanish as a foreign language (SFL hereafter) classroom. The chapter is divided into four parts. First, I briefly describe the history of the field of Spanish language teaching (SLT hereafter) as well as the development of the framework of online teaching. I expand on notions such as computer- assisted language learning, computer-mediated communication, and data- driven learning. Second, I give an overview of FrameNet, including concepts such as frames, frame elements, lexical units, and their annotation. Third, I discuss the ways in which the Spanish FrameNet can be used in the SFL classroom. This section is divided into subsections dealing with aspects of vocabulary, grammar, and metaphors. Finally, I stress the benefits and drawbacks of new technologies like FrameNet in teaching foreign languages.