listening, and speaking. The term is used principally to describe approaches
used in first languageteaching which try to develop language skills
together rather than separately.language attitudes n
the attitudes which speakers of different languages or language varieties
have towards each other’s languages or to their own language. Expressions
of positive or negative feelings towards a language may reflect impressions
of linguistic difficulty or simplicity, ease or difficulty of learning, degree of
importance, elegance, social status, etc. Attitudes towards a language may
also show what people feel about the speakers of that language. Language
attitudes may have an effect on second languageor foreign language
learning. The measurement of language attitudes provides information
which is useful in language teaching and language planning.
see also language ego, matched guise technique, motivation,
semantic differential
language attrition n
language loss that is gradual rather than sudden. This may refer to the loss
of a second or foreign language after instruction (second language attrition
or L2 attrition), such as often occurs in settings where the language is
not used in the community, or to first language attrition(L1 attrition) in
situations where the community speaks a different language, as in language
loss among immigrants. In these cases, the language that is lost or being lost is
called the attriting language, while the individuals who experience attrition
are called attriters. Language attrition may also refer to the loss of a first or
second language due to ageing. Research on second language attrition has
been similar to research on language acquisition, including such topics as
the role of age, individual differences, social-psychological factors, individual
differences, and language setting.
language audit n
an investigation of the language needs of a particular organization in order
to determine the actions the organization needs to take in order to increase
the language competence of its employees, and thereby improve contacts
with foreign clients.
language awareness n
a movement that developed in Britain in the 1980s which sought to stimulate
curiosity about language and to provide links among the different kinds of
language experiences children typically encountered in school, e.g. in science,
in literature, and in foreign language classes. Language awareness courses
language attitudes