A Semantic Approach to Language Teaching
Syntagmatic Competencies VS.
Paradigmatic Competencies
LIC. RODOLFO ChavianoUniversidad Americana (UAM) 2004
Understanding Syntagmatic Competence
Language Skills
• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing
Language _______________
Simple Present ______________1___ Passive Voice __________________2___
Future Perfect _________________________3____
Reported Speech ____________________________4_____
Gerunds & Infinitives _______________________________5_____
Conditional Sentences ___________________________________6______
Regular and Irregular Verbs ________________________________________7______
Phrasal verbs
______________________ _________________________8_______
The Present Perfect Progressive ________________________________________________________9_______
Understanding & Memorizing Grammar Rules ___________________________________ 10_____
Paradigmatic Competence Grammar Categories
syn•tag•ma \sin-"tag-m€\ noun pl syn•tag•mas or syn•tag•ma•ta m€-t€\ [Gk, fr. syntassein] (1937) : a syntactic element syn•tag•mat•ic \'sin-'tag-"ma-tik\ adjective
par•a•digm \"par-€-'dïm also -'dim\ noun [LL paradigma, fr. Gk paradeigma, fr. paradeiknynai to show side by side, fr. para- + deiknynai to show — more at diction] (15c) 1: example, pattern; esp : an outstandingly clear or typical example or archetype
©1996 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. All rights reserved .
Conveying meaning is syntagmatic.
Grammatical competence is paradigmatic.
meaning
SPEECH COMPETENCE
LEXICAL COMPETENCE
WRITING COMPETENCE
AUDITORY COMPETENCE
LISTENING COMPETENCE
SYNTAGMATIC COMPETENCE
GRAMMATICAL COMPETENCE
INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE
NON-VERBAL LANGUAGE COMPETENCE
MULTIPLE
COMPETENCESMULTIPLE
COMPETENCES
The Tip of the Iceberg – Words? The most visible part of language.
Meaning
Sounds Words
Utterances Multi-word units
Lexical Units Syntactic Units
Syntagmatic Units Paragraph Building
Essay / Writing Intercultural Awareness
The Social Meaning of Language Semantic Categories
Meaning _______________
Greetings ______________1___ Facts of Life ___________________2___
Past Events _________________________3____ Future Events ____________________________4_____ Asking Questions _______________________________5_____
Reference Items ___________________________________6______
Making Comparisons ________________________________________7______
Understanding Mass & Unit _____________________________________________8_______
Understanding Verb Collocation ________________________________________________________9_______
Connecting Ideas ____________________________________ 10_____ Understanding Syntagmatic Competence
Syntagmatic Competence Semantic Categories
Greetings
Good morning! 8:00 am OK
Good night! 8:00 pm
Wrong (if used at the time of arrival)
Ss 1: How do you do?
Ss 2: I study architecture. Wrong
Ss 1: How are you doing?
Ss 2: Nothing. wrong
Making Questions
Ss 1: How many minutes is from the house to the airport?How long?
Ss 2: About 25 minutes.
Ss 1: How is your room like?What?
Ss 2: I don’t like my bedroom
It’s very dark.
Utterances*
• Students should get familiar with and use utterances such as• Good morning, See you! , Excuse me, I guess so, So do I, Gee, My Lord! Of course!, What´s more!, Hush!, What for?, On top of that, etc.
*ut•ter•ance (ut'uhr uhns) n. 1. an act of uttering; vocal expression. 2. something uttered, esp. a word or words. 3. manner or power of speaking. 4. Ling. any speech sequence consisting of one or more words and preceded and followed by silence or a change in speaker.
©1996 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
The Social Meaning of Language
• This semantic category, the most difficult to understand and master, lies at the bottom of the iceberg structure. Unfortunately, it is slowly learned, and often after dealing with language units for a long time. It´s quite hard, even for those living in the target language milieu.
• There are lexical units such as hot-desking, that would never be understood by the foreign learner. Because of their syntactical relations or their incomprehensible surface meaning.
• The use of interjections, inflexions of the voice, idioms, mottos, proverbs, sayings, phrasal verbs, cliché, slogans, fixed phrases, and word collocations such as a thick moustache, a distant relative, dropped the flower vase, spoil the food, etc. are among the most important.
Intercultural Awareness Skills
These are attitudes and skills that are needed to build competence. Among them are:
- observing, identifying and recognizing- comparing and contrasting- negotiating meaning- dealing with or tolerating ambiguity- effectively interpreting messages- limiting the possibility of misinterpretation- defending one's own point of view while acknowledging
the legitimacy of others - accepting difference
Understanding Verb Collocation I don’t like to borrow money to people, they
take a long time to return it to you.(lend)
I learned to drive the bike when I was 6. ( learn how to drive)
What is good to win weight? (gain)
The car alarm shoot in the middle of the
night, so everyone thought it was a thief, fortunately, it was a cat. (went off)
Connecting Ideas
In spite of, I think, that the situation is not political. It’s legal. We need a lawyer. (use appropriate conjunction)
Also, I have observed his strange behavior, but I think he should be taken to court. (use appropriate conjunction)
Because she is under 16, she won’t be able to see the film. (use appropriate conjunction) I will come back until September the 20th. The contract ends on
Sept 19th. (use appropriate verb form) How I am young and strong, my mother don’t have to work. (use appropriate connector)
Reference Items I never speak to people on the street, and when I
speak to him it’s because it is very necessary.
Bananas are delicious, I like it in the morning.
There are two kinds of doctors, first who listens to you, and explains everything. The second, is the doctor who gives you orders, asks questions, prescribes medicine, and never check your blood pressure.
President Lincoln was the 16th American
president, and Jefferson was the third. The number one was a famous speech maker, the last one was an excellent writer.
Making Comparisons
I am oldest than my sister.
My mother is not fat, and my sister is not fat too.
Phillip is the better in the group.
This is the more important assignment in the Marketing class.
Nelly is not as tall than Susan.
Future Events I am going to finish my career by the year
2007. We will can go on Sunday.
She maybe weight 130 or 140 pounds, I am not sure, I didn’t see her well.
I will pay you when I will come back from Miami
Understanding Mass & Unit
We don’t usually have many informations about African countries.
There are many mouse in the neighborhood.
I bought 3 breads, some ham, and a bottle of coke.
There are 5 millions inhabitants living in Salvador.
There were many , cars, handicrafts, and furnitures at the local fair.
Past Events and Memories
I .(have never drunk)never drink Vodka in my life We ( … ) lived in Costa Rica for 3 years before we moved to Nicaragua.
When ( … ) I was writing my essay, a visitor come ( … ) with the bad news.
I was used ( … )to smoke 10 cigarettes a day.
He not forgot ( … ) to pay the bill, he forgot the bill in the house.
I must to ( … ) work overtime last night .
Syntagmatic Competence
Core of Language CompetencIes
PhonicsWordsUtterancesLexical UnitsSyntactic UnitsSyntagmatic UnitsParagraph BuildingEssay WritingAcquisition of Intercultural SkillsUnderstanding the SocialMeaning of Language
= Syntagmatic Competencies
Some Ideas to Implement Semantic Approach
Some Ideas to Implement Semantic Approach
• Meaning is on top of any communicative act.
• English students should get familiar with and
use utterances.
• Students should understand and use multi-
word units from the very start.
• Students should understand and derive words
by analogy, and by developing association
strategies.
• The formation of simple syntactic units is
fundamental in the understanding & building
up English.
• Extended syntagmatic units are those needed
to expand ideas within the same sentence.
• Writing practice from the very beginning.
• The Social Meaning of Language is quite hard,
even for those living in the target language
milieu.
• English is a phonemic language.• Students should be given theoretical information on writing styles.• Intercultural Awareness Skills are needed to build up competence• Conveying meaning is syntagmatic.• Grammatical competence is paradigmatic.• Paradigmatic Competence relies on
Grammar Categories.• Syntagmatic Competence relies on Semantic Categories.• Understanding Syntagmatic Competence
means doing an re-doing the language meaning.• Syntagmatic competence is at the core of language competence.
Semantic Approach to LanguageTeaching
Thank you verymuch!
LI C. RODOLFO ChAVIANOUniversidad Americana (UAM)
J uly 2004