Table of Contents
Introduction
Understanding the role of context in language teaching is essential for creating meaningful and effective learning experiences. Context is not just about words or sentences; it is about the environments and situations in which language is used.
Incorporating context into language teaching can help students acquire language that is relevant, functional, and reflective of real-world use.
Meaning and context in language teaching
As language teachers, we would want to engage our students to acquire language meaningfully, negotiate meaning, and get their messages through. We do that in activities involving reading and listening comprehension as well as other activities.
But does teaching formal properties of language through grammatical and vocabulary explanations satisfy these needs?
It is doubtful that such teaching would yield any positive results as it overlooks an important aspect of language, that aspect that takes the context as an essential part in the construction of meaning. Any teaching that takes usage – the formal properties of language – as the only aspect to be taught will fail to develop adequate language skills in learners.
In addition to usage, teaching language as it is actually used by native speakers in appropriate contexts is to my mind the cornerstone of second and foreign language teaching.
What is Context in Language Teaching?
Context refers to the circumstances, settings, or environments in which language is used. It includes both linguistic elements (the words and structures within a text) and situational factors (the social and cultural conditions surrounding language use).
For language teachers, understanding and utilizing context means moving beyond teaching isolated vocabulary and grammar rules to focus on how language operates in real-life scenarios.
In essence, context allows learners to:
- Comprehend meaning more effectively.
- Develop communication skills relevant to their environment.
- Understand language as a tool for interaction and negotiation of meaning.
Definition of Context in Linguistics:
In linguistics, context refers to the surrounding environment, both linguistic and situational, that influences the interpretation and meaning of language. It encompasses the words, sentences, or discourse preceding and following an utterance (linguistic context) and the social, cultural, and physical circumstances in which communication occurs (situational context).
Types of Context
Meaning and context are crucial in language teaching. To teach language effectively, it is essential to recognize the different types of context: linguistic and situational.
Context can be:
- Linguistic: involving the linguistic environment of a language item,
- Situational: involving extra-linguistic elements that contribute to the construction of meaning.
1. Linguistic Context
Linguistic context or verbal context refers to the linguistic environment in which a word is used within a text. Understanding the meaning of vocabulary items using linguistic context may involve syntactic and morphological interpretation of the elements within a text.
In other words, to determine the meaning of an item, it is necessary to know whether the item is a noun, a verb, an adjective, or an adverb, functioning as a subject, a predicate, or a complement. This information gives important clues to the meaning of the text. However, it is not sufficient to provide a full understanding of utterances.
The following example given by Noam Chomsky in his 1957 Syntactic Structures demonstrates that a grammatically correct sentence may be meaningless.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
Although the above sentence is grammatically correct, it is nonsensical and thus demonstrates the distinction between grammar and meaning. It shows that relying on only the linguistic elements in a text to get meaning is not enough.
Meaning involves more than the grammatical description and goes beyond the scope of grammar to an understanding of the situational context that involves individual beliefs and knowledge of the world.
Nevertheless, the linguistic context – the textual environment in which a word, phrase, or sentence appears – may help us analyze grammatical and syntactical relationships. For example:
- The word “bank” can mean a financial institution or the side of a river, depending on the surrounding words.
- In the sentence, “We went to the café. It was crowded,” the pronoun “it” refers back to “the café” (an example of anaphoric reference).
Teachers can use the following activities to emphasize linguistic context:
- Cloze exercises: Students fill in blanks within a passage using contextual clues.
- Syntax games: Identify the function of words (e.g., noun, verb) in sentences.
2. Pragmatic or Situational Context
Situational context, also known as pragmatic context, involves the social and cultural factors that influence language use. This includes elements like:
- Deictic expressions: Words like “here,” “there,” “this,” and “that” rely on the speaker’s physical or temporal location.
- Social status and politeness: For instance, “Excuse me, Mr. Smith, may I speak with you?” versus “Hey, John, got a minute?”
- Cultural norms: Understanding greetings, idioms, and expressions unique to a culture.
Part of the pragmatic context is what makes it coherent, those elements that tell us who and what we are talking about. This is achieved by using features such as the use of deictic, anaphoric, and cataphoric elements as well as other information implied in the text.
As mentioned before in the section about linguistic context, some kind of meaning can be inferred from the linguistic elements surrounding a word. In the following example, the meaning of it cannot be attained without going back to what has been said before:
We went to the café. It was crowded
So trying to understand the sentence “it was crowded” can be fully understood only if we know that it is anaphoric and refers to the item “the café.“
By the same token, a sentence like the following:
When she arrived home, Nancy watched TV
involves a cataphoric use of the pronoun she. Without the presence of the subsequent linguistic elements of the sentence, one would be unable to know that she refers to Nancy.
There are, of course, other pragmatic elements that do not directly depend on the surrounding verbal context but still contribute to the meaning of sentences. Words like “there,” “here,” “that,” “it,” and “tomorrow” are known as deictic expressions. While their meanings are fixed, what they denote depends on the time, place, and situation in which the utterance is made.
In the following sentence here is deictic referring to the place where the speaker lives:
I live here.
Place deictic terms, like here, are generally understood to be relative to the location of the speaker.
Meaning can also relate to social variables in language use, not just the surrounding linguistic elements. Politeness, shared beliefs, cultural features, and social organization all play significant roles in interpreting meaning. For example, the following utterances reflect the participants’ different social statuses:
1. Excuse me Mr. Buckingham, but can I talk to you for a minute?
2. Hey Bucky, got a minute?
In the first example, it is likely that a student is speaking to a teacher or an employee to an employer, while in the second, two friends are likely talking informally. The speakers use markers that indicate social distance and power relationships. Without considering these contextual variables, the full meaning may not be fully understood.
Practical teaching strategies include:
- Role-plays: Students practice conversations in specific social settings (e.g., ordering at a restaurant).
- Real-world simulations: Create tasks that mimic authentic scenarios, like asking for directions or making appointments.
Why is Context Important in Language Teaching?
Context plays a pivotal role in:
- Facilitating Comprehension: Words and sentences gain meaning when placed in context. For example, Noam Chomsky’s famous sentence, “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously,” is grammatically correct but meaningless because it lacks situational relevance.
- Enhancing Communication Skills: Effective communication is not just about grammar but also about knowing what to say, to whom, and when.
- Developing Cultural Awareness: Context helps learners understand cultural subtleties and social norms, making their language use more appropriate and natural.
Teaching Language Through Context: Practical Tips
To integrate context into your language lessons, consider the following approaches:
1. Use Authentic Materials
Expose students to real-world texts, such as:
- Newspaper articles
- Movie scripts
- Advertisements
2. Focus on Functional Language
Teach language as it is used in specific situations. For example:
- Shopping: *”How much does this cost?”
- Traveling: *”Can you show me the way to the train station?”
3. Encourage Interactive Activities
- Group discussions: Assign topics that require students to share opinions and negotiate meaning.
- Problem-solving tasks: Create scenarios where students must use language to complete a task collaboratively.
4. Highlight Cultural Contexts
Incorporate lessons on cultural norms and practices. For instance:
- How to greet someone formally vs. informally.
- Differences in expressions of politeness across cultures.
Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them
- Overemphasis on Grammar: Shift focus from grammar drills to meaningful communication activities.
- Lack of Exposure: Use multimedia resources to introduce diverse linguistic and cultural contexts.
- Student Reluctance: Motivate students by showing how context-based language use improves real-life communication.
Takeaways:
Context plays a vital role in understanding and interpreting meaning. Simply knowing the definitions of words is insufficient to grasp the essence of discourse. Effective communication requires an awareness of who is speaking, what they are saying, why they are saying it, and where the interaction occurs.
Werth succinctly encapsulates this concept:
“The context of a piece of language (…) is its surrounding environment. But this can include as little as the articulatory movements immediately before and after it, or as much as the whole universe with its past and future.” (Werth 1999: 78–79)
For language teachers, this highlights the importance of designing activities that integrate the contextual dimensions of language use. Doing so helps learners connect meaning with real-life applications, fostering both linguistic and cultural competence.
FAQs
What is meaningful learning in language learning?
Meaningful learning in language learning involves understanding and applying language in real-life, relevant contexts rather than simply memorizing isolated words or grammar rules.
What is context in language teaching?
Context in language teaching refers to the circumstances, settings, and environments in which language is used, including linguistic elements and social or cultural factors.
What is meaningful context in language learning?
Meaningful context in language learning is a situation or setting where language is used in a way that reflects real-life communication, making it relevant and engaging for learners.
Why is context important in teaching?
Context is important in teaching because it helps learners understand how language operates in different situations, making it easier to apply and remember.
What is an example of meaningful learning?
An example of meaningful learning is a role-play activity where students practice ordering food at a restaurant, using language they would need in a real-life situation.
What are the characteristics of meaningful learning?
The key characteristics of meaningful learning include relevance, active engagement, integration with prior knowledge, learner-centeredness, and practical application.
How can teachers create meaningful contexts in the classroom?
Teachers can create meaningful contexts by using authentic materials, simulating real-world scenarios, incorporating cultural references, and encouraging interactive activities like group discussions and role-plays.
Conclusion
Context is the cornerstone of effective language teaching. Emphasizing both linguistic and situational contexts can help teachers equip students with the tools they need to understand and use language meaningfully.
Remember, teaching language is not just about what words mean but also about how, when, and why they are used. Designing lessons with these elements in mind ensures that learners develop not only linguistic competence but also the cultural and social skills necessary for real-world communication.
References
- Chomsky, Noam (1957). Syntactic Structures. The Hague/Paris: Mouton.
- Werth, Paul (1999). Text Worlds: Representing Conceptual Space in Discourse. London: Longman.