Richards-Communicative-Language pdf

Text-Based Instruction

Text-based instruction, also known as a genre-based approach, sees communica-

tive competence as involving the mastery of different types of texts. Text here 

is used in a special sense to refer to structured sequences of language that are 

used in specific contexts in specific ways. For example, in the course of a day, a 

speaker of English may use spoken English in many different ways, including 

the following:



  Casual conversational exchange with a friend



  Conversational exchange with a stranger in an elevator



  Telephone call to arrange an appointment at a hair salon



  An account to friends of an unusual experience



  Discussion of a personal problem with a friend to seek advice

Each of these uses of language can be regarded as a text in that it exists 

as a unified whole with a beginning, middle, and end, it confirms to norms of 

organization and content, and it draws on appropriate grammar and vocabulary. 

Communicative  competence  thus  involves  being  able  to  use  different  kinds 

of spoken and written texts in the specific contexts of their use. This view of 

language owes much to the work of the linguist Michael Halliday. According to 

Feez and Joyce (1998), TBI is thus based on an approach to teaching language 

which involves:



  Teaching explicitly about the structures and grammatical features 

of spoken and written texts



  Linking spoken and written texts to the cultural context of their 

use



  Designing units of work which focus on developing skills in 

relation to whole texts



  Providing students with guided practice as they develop language 

skills for meaningful communication through whole texts

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Communicative Language Teaching Today  37

According to this view, learners in different contexts have to master 

the use of the text types occurring most frequently in specific contexts. These 

contexts  might  include:  studying  in  an  English-medium  university,  studying 

in  an  English-medium  primary  or  secondary  school,  working  in  a  restaurant, 

office, or store, socializing with neighbors in a housing complex.

Task 19

What kinds of texts do your students encounter? What kind 

of texts do they need to learn to use?