Working with emergent language: first steps
Raise your hand if you have ever felt a tad frustrated when a student poses a question that ends up generating discussion for 15 solid minutes. “There goes my lesson plan,” you begrudgingly accept. As you become more experienced, however, you learn to appreciate those questions and start regarding those discussions as a chance to foster interaction among learners. These are the moments when the need for language tends to emerge. Do you feel ready to deal with it? Let’s take a closer look at emergent language and begin to understand how we can work with it in class.
What is emergent language and why does it matter?
Emergent language is the language that comes out of interaction. It is produced by learners during meaning-focused tasks. Yet, it is not part of your lesson aims. Typically, it comes to the surface in moments of communication breakdowns due to learners’ need for specific pieces of language to communicate an idea.
If you’re wondering why we should work with emergent language and not simply stick to the lesson aims, I’ll suggest a couple of reasons. For you, the teacher, working with emergent language requires attentive listening to understand the ideas learners are trying to put across. It also helps you develop your language awareness and readiness to help them bridge the gap between what they already know and what they are trying to learn. For them, the students, a focus on emergent language provides opportunities to notice patterns and possibilities and, as a result, develop autonomy.
How can you start working with emergent language in class?
Firstly, you need to listen. Pay attention to what your students are saying and, more importantly, to how they are saying it. Then, ask yourself: “How would I say it?” You’re the closest model of a competent speaker students have, so why not rely on your linguistic repertoire? Once you have found an appropriate way of expressing the idea, elicit other ways of saying what they are trying to say. I often do that by using gaps, in a sort of impromptu open cloze exercise. Suppose a student said something like “I think I’m going to look for another job. I’m just waiting to know who got the promotion.” Then I might write the following on the board: “If _______ , I ______.” in an attempt to prompt them to use a conditional sentence. I’d expect them to produce something like “If I don’t get the promotion, I’ll look for another job.”
Other times, I will simply ask them to think of another way to say something. The other day, while performing a task, a student shared her ideas to help plan an induction programme at a company. She was saying that she believed it would be better for employees to do some activities in smaller groups. And she kept using the word “better” to explain her ideas and justify her opinions. “This would be better”, “because it would be better.” I then asked her to try using a more specific word to explain her point. I said, “Think about why it would be better.” She came up with “productive”, which was perfect for what she wanted to say. Immediately after that, as she was explaining another aspect of this induction programme she was planning, she paused and said, “Wait, teacher, I’m thinking of another word to express this idea.” She proceeded to ask: “how can I say when something gives you an advantage?” “Advantageous?”, I suggested. “Yes, yes, exactly this”, she replied and went on to explain why another initiative would seem more advantageous to employees.
What are the next steps?
Working with emergent language can be quite daunting for teachers as choosing what to explore may not be as straightforward. Still, based on interactions like the ones described above, there is no denying students have a lot to gain from noticing alternative tactics to communicate more effectively.
If you are interested in delving into the topic, have a look at the further reading section below, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.
Further reading:
Giving feedback on emergent language , by Melissa Lamb and Richard Chinn
