The Role of Metalanguage in Supporting Academic Language Development

• Published in: Language learning Vol. 63; no. s1; pp. 153 - 170
• Main Author: Schleppegrell, Mary J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.03.2013; Wiley-Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Academic Discourse; Academic Language; Capacity Building; Change Strategies; Child language. Acquisition and development; Classroom Research; Consciousness Raising; Context Effect; Educational Practices; Educational Strategies; Elementary Education; elementary school; Elementary School Curriculum; English; English language arts; English Language Learners; Grammar; Language Acquisition; Language Arts; Language Research; Linguistic Theory; Linguistics; Metalinguistics; Production and comprehension processes; Psycholinguistics; Psychology of language; Role Perception; Second Language Instruction; Second Language Learning; Second Language Programs; systemic functional linguistics; Teaching Methods; systemic functional linguistics; English as mother tongue; Metalanguage; English language learners; Language learning; English language arts; elementary school; Computer-assisted language learning; grammar; English as foreign language; Language development; Psycholinguistics; Primary school; Child; Second language acquisition
• ISSN: 0023-8333; 1467-9922
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9922.2012.00742.x

Recent currents in language learning research highlight the social and emergent aspects of second language (L2) development and recognize that learners need opportunities for interaction in meaningful contexts supported by explicit attention to language itself. These perspectives suggest new ways of conceptualizing the challenges faced by children learning L2s as they learn school subjects. This article reports on design‐based research in U.S. schools with a majority of English language learners, where teachers were supported in using Systemic Functional Linguistics metalanguage in the context of curricular activities. This work illustrates how a meaningful metalanguage can support L2 learners in accomplishing challenging tasks in the primary school curriculum at the same time that it promotes the kind of focused consciousness‐raising and explicit talk about language that has been shown to facilitate L2 development. Examples from classroom research exemplify how metalanguage supports the situated and contextual language learning that current research in education and L2 acquisition calls for, while also supporting disciplinary goals and activities in English language arts. Podcast