Corpus-Aided Grammar Teaching Materials Development: Theoretical Considerations and Practical Teaching Activities

Introduction

The relation between instruction and comprehension in grammar teaching was considered the key issue in the mapping of grammatical form and its underlying meanings (Batstone & Ellis, 2009). Recent debates related to the role of grammar instruction merely acknowledged the exposure to target language as the key factor in succeeding the attainment of grammatical and discourse competence yet emphasized a certain extent to which grammar teaching functions as the essential component in teaching practices (Mystkowska-Wiertelak & Pawlak, 2011). According to Nassaji and Fotos (2004), there are at least four claims in support of grammar teaching: these include the role of noticing or awareness on form (cf. Swain & Lapkin, 2001), the intervention of teaching to benefit the acquisition of grammatical knowledge (cf. Lightbown, 2000), the emphasis of accuracy in learning the target language (cf. Swain & Lapkin, 1989), and positive evidences of grammar instruction in classroom context.

Corpus linguistics was applied in language learning context via the means of corpus-aided pedagogy including the implementation of data-driven learning (Johns, 1991) and corpus-aided discovery learning (Huang, 2008). According to Johns (1991), data-driven learning commonly refers to a type of machine learning where the computer retrieves linguistic information from a large amount of text and acts an informant for the learners to facilitate their scanning of patterns and generalizations from the appearance of keyword-in-context concordance. The corpus-aided discovery learning further generates the attention to the linguistic form and knowledge through the steps of researching, discovering, and reflecting (Huang, 2008) and identifying, analyzing, and interpreting observations (Bernardini, 2000). Most importantly, at the core of grammar leaning, corpus-aided discovery learning constructs grammar description from the ground of authentic linguistic evidence and the learner engagement into the discovery learning task (Johns, 1991).

Considering the above theoretical overview on the implementation of corpus-aided pedagogy on grammar teaching on the particular aspect of connecting instruction and comprehension, three theoretical questions (TQ) for this paper are as follows:

• 1.

  TQ1: What are key components and frameworks in grammar teaching?

• 2.

  TQ2: In what way can corpus linguistics be integrated into grammar teaching?

• 3.

  TQ3: How can corpora resources be adapted to teaching grammar following the sequence of stages?

Main sections are organized accordingly on the basis of three stated TQs. In response to TQ1, Section 1: Key components of grammar teaching firstly provides a review of key theoretical concepts in grammar teaching including comprehensible input, accuracy, fluency, and lexis. These selected four components are reviewed on the base of focus on forms/ focus on form distinction or the relationship between grammatical form and derived meaning in grammar teaching. Meanwhile, the review on theoretical frameworks of grammar teaching in Section 2: Grammar and its relevant teaching frameworks explains the mechanism of transformational generative grammar, systemic functional grammar, and lexicogrammatical approach. These three selected frameworks further elaborate the form-meaning interface into larger theoretical considerations for human cognition, pedagogy, and pragmatics.