Essay including analysis of a sample of EAL learner speech and discussion of an issue in pedagogical grammar arising from it
Hong Kong Student Band 8

For this assignment, you need to obtain a short sample of a language learner’s speech. The EAL learner talks in their their natural speech (in conversation for example, and not reading aloud from a text, as this is not natural speech).
This assignment will take the form of part case study, part literature review, focusing on the speech production of a learner and a specific issue in pedagogical grammar.
You should comment briefly on some of the following pronunciation features: individual phonemes, word/sentence stress, connected speech and intonation)
Then comment briefly on a few chosen grammatical and/or lexical features. At word level you would focus on parts of speech or word classes (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, determiner, pronoun, etc. as well as morphological features). At sentence level you would look at syntax, which involves the relationships of the elements in a sentence, word order, verb/subject agreement, and clause structures. At the supra-sentential level you would note features of cohesion, such as the use of pronoun substitution or synonyms to avoid repetition yet maintain a flow of ideas, linking words, and appropriate lexical (vocabulary) choices for the genre/task.
You should bear in mind that with spoken language, ‘slips’ are more common, that is a learner may know a particular rule but during speech production these slips occur because they are concentrating on multiple features of language. A genuine error may be identified by repeated occurrences.
This will be about half of the assignment. For the other half, relate one/some of the issues you have identified in the sample to an issue in pedagogical grammar and discuss it with reference to relevant scholarly literature.
These are possible topics in Pedagogical Grammar. You may choose one:
• instructed SLA
• input enhancement
• error correction (be specific-spoken/written, recasts)
• traditional/functional grammar
• focus on form/focus on forms
• explicit/implicit instruction
• task-based instruction,
• immersion/CBI
• deductive/ inductive learning
• grammar consciousness-raising tasks.
• An Aspect of Krashen’s theories (natural approach learn/acquire, monitor, input, affective filter- as they relate to grammar.
Referencing is another important part of the layout of your assignment. You should use the APA (American Psychological Association) version 6.0 which is available electronically, to reference your sources.