Volume 2 - Issue 1 - June 2018
Latest issue of Journal of Applied Languages and Linguistics
Research Article
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Some linguistic challenges for young learners at pre-A1 level of English
Associate professor,
FON University
Mailing address: Kiro Gligorov bb, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
e-mail: ana.lazarova-nikovska@fon.edu.mk
Published online: 7 July 2018, pp. 24-32
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​​Citation: Lazarova-Nikovska, A. (2018). Some linguistic challenges for young learners at pre-A1 level of English. Journal of Applied languages and Linguistics, 2(1), pp.24-32
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There is a growing interest and need in teaching English to young learners on a global scale. With it, the ELT market has been enriched with coursebooks and learning resources aimed at young learners. The majority of these materials focus on the lexical input of the learner. The assumption is that there is little grammar in the early stages of child L2 development. Moreover, the recommendation is for the grammar to be holistically acquired by the young language learner. This may be possible in naturalistic settings of L2A, however, in classroom settings the process of grammar learning needs to be managed by the teacher. The purpose of the current paper is to identify the lexical features and grammatical structures which are believed to pose methodological dilemmas for teachers of young learners of English. The inquiry will focus on the content of the pre-A1 level, as identified by the creators of the Cambridge Young Learners Exams. The results of the findings will be beneficial to teachers, as well as to coursebook writers and language policy makers.
© Applied Language Studies House Publications 2018. All rights reserved.
Keywords:
pre-A1 level, English, lexical and grammatical competence, young learners
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