Suggests that fostering dependence on techniques along, without developing awareness of how techniques relate to theoretical principles, militates against healthy development in the English language teaching profession. Argues that teachers who see research as part of their role are likely to view their work more positively than teachers who are…

Addresses a developing myth in language teaching based on Long's (1988) focus on form, which assumes form-focused instruction is best provided during communicative activity and justified only by difficulties in communication. Argues advocacy of focus on form as the most effective teaching strategy is only theoretically motivated and lacks…

The 1959 Survey of English Usage has provided researchers and teachers with a corpus of spoken, manuscript, and printed Standard British English. New uses have been found for the survey's resources in recent years, and the spoken part is more widely available in book and computer tape form. (MSE)

Applied and theoretical linguist and author David Crystal is interviewed concerning his career and his interest in both public and academic approaches to language. Topics discussed include Crystal's formative experiences, the emergence of public interest in language, concerns about the current and future role of languages and language diversity,…

Argues for an alternative to the conventional linear model of language acquisition in the learning of second-language grammar, proposing a more organic approach. The two approaches are contrasted, drawing on research in second-language learning and discourse analysis that supports the organic view. Some pedagogical implications of this approach…

Discusses whether teachers should intervene when communication between learners of English as a Second Language breaks down and, if so, what form that intervention should take. The article concludes that teachers should resist intervention at the outset of communication problems and that any subsequent intervention must be specifically tailored to…