Cambridge DELTA Module 1 / Terms/concepts for the Cambridge DELTA
Module 1 Exam. ELT terms from an A-Z of ELT by Scott Thornbury/ 327
Q&A.
acculturation - (answers)SLA The process by which a person integrates into a particular culture.
One of the first theories of SLA that attempted to prioritize social factors over purely cognitive
ones. It has been partly rehabilitated under the name socialization.
accuracy - (answers)SLA The extent to which a learner's use of a second language conforms to
the rules of the language. Once thought to be a precondition for fluency.
achievement test - (answers)TESTING Designed to test what learners have learned over a week,
month, term or entire course. Because ___ ___s are directly related to the content of the teaching
program, they provide feedback on the teaching-learning process, and are therefore useful data
for course evaluation.
action research - (answers)METHODOLOGY A form of teacher-driven research, the twin goals
of which are to improve classroom practice, and to 'empower' teachers. Typically motivated less
by the desire to answer the 'big' questions than by the need to solve a specific teaching problem
in the local context.
planning->acting->observing->reflecting
adolescents - (answers)METHODOLOGY The ideal time to learn a second language. This age
group tends to outperform adults and to progress more rapidly than younger learners.
affect - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY The general word for emotion or feelings. These factors
positively or negatively influence language learning. Often contrasted with cognitive factors such
as intelligence and learning style. Low ___ive filter=emotionally well-disposed to processing
input High ___ive=won't process input so effecitively.
affix, affixation - (answers)VOCABULARY An element that is added to a word and which
changes its meaning. The process of doing this.
,affordance - (answers)LINGUISTICS The language learning opportunities that exist in a
learner's linguistic 'environment.' Maximized with meaningful activities and giving learners
feedback.
agency - (answers)METHODOLOGY Control of your own actions, including your mental
activity. A notion from critical pedagogy. Learners are not objects of the teaching process; they
are subjects of the learning process. A factor that contributes to motivation.
applied linguistics - (answers)LINGUISTICS Concerned with the application of linguistic theory
to solving language-related problems in the real world. Language planning, speech therapy,
lexcography, translation studies, forensic linguistics.
appraisal - (answers)LINGUISTICS Also called stance; the way speakers and writers use
language to express their personal attitude to what is being said or written; one of the main ways
that language's interpersonal function is realized; consists of 3 categories: affect (personal
feelings), judgment (social values and social esteem), appreciation (opinions). These can all be
expressed lexically, grammatically or through the use of paralinguistic devices.
appropriacy - (answers)SOCIOLINGUISTICS Using language in a way that is suitable for the
context and in a way that meets the expectations of the people you are communicating with. An
aspect of sociolinguistic competence, which is a component of a speaker's overall
communicative competence. (Dell Hymes)
appropriation - (answers)SLA To make something your own. Gaining ownership of a skill by
first doing it with someone who is more skilled than you are until you can control or regulate the
skill yourself. A key concept in sociocultural learning theory. Language is not simply a behavior
that is conditioned through repeated practice, but that it is one of collaborative construction, in
which skills are transferred in socially-situated activity.
aptitude - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY The innate talent or predisposition for language learning. 3
kinds of ability: auditory, linguistic, memory.
aspect - (answers)GRAMMAR The way the speaker's 'view' of an event is expressed by the verb
phrase, regardless of the time of the event itself. 2 of these in English: progressive and perfect.
,contingency - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY The sense that what is happening is connected to what
has just happened and what is about to happen.
audiolingualism - (answers)METHODOLOGY Became widespread in the US in the 1950s and
60s. Distinctive feature=drilling of sentence patterns. Came from a view of learning as habit
formation (behaviorism). Spoken language was prioritized; translation and the use of
metalanguage were discouraged; accuracy was considered a precondition for fluency. Shot down
by Chomsky in the early 60s and the birth of mentalism.
authenticity - (answers)LINGUISTICS Became a priority with the communicative approach. The
idea of "grade the task, not the text" was born. This kind of interaction is both more
communicative and offers more affordances for learning.
automaticity - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY The ability to perform a task without having to focus
attention on it. This frees a learner's limited attentional resources for more demanding activities.
A process of setting up chunks and associations that link one step with another. This doesn't
mean a sacrifice of accuracy. When chunks of language are produced in a pre-assembled form,
the speaker has much less chance of making mistakes.
autonomy - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY Also called self-directed learning. The capacity to take
responsibility for your own learning.
behaviorism - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY A psychological theory popular in the mid-twentieth
century that viewed learning as a sort of habit formation and positive reinforcement.
Audiolingualism is the teaching method that is associated with this. stimulus-response-
reinforcement.
This theory rejected any role, in learning, for mental processes such as thought and reasoning.
bilingualism - (answers)SLA At one point it was considered a handicap to second language
learners since (according to behaviorist theory) the first language interferes with the second.
ADDITIVE=second language added to first without threatening the speaker's first language
identity; SUBTRACTIVE=the second language replaces the first, threatening the speaker's
language identity.
, cognitive learning theory - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY A learning theory that draws upon ideas
from cognitive psychology, the branch of psychology that deals with perception and thinking.
Piaget first proposed the view that language develops out of the child's thoughts and growing
awareness of the world. A later version suggests that the child acquires language by forming and
testing hypotheses about the adult language it hears around it. Has been criticized as being
mechanistic, and for ignoring social and affective factors.
coherence - (answers)DISCOURSE How the sentences in a text relate to each other.
cohesion - (answers)DISCOURSE The use of grammatical and lexical means to achieve
connected text. LEXICAL: repetition, synonyms, general words, same thematic field,
substitution, ellipsis; GRAMMATICAL: references, substitution, ellipsis, linkers, parallelism
collocation - (answers)VOCABULARY Words that frequently occur together. Can be
grammatical (collocate with specific prepositions: "account for") or lexical: "narrow escape."
communication strategy - (answers)SLA Ways that learners get around the fact that they may not
know how to say something, but that help the learner achieve their intended message:
paraphrase, word coinage, foreignizing a word, approximation, all-purpose words, language-
switching, paralinguistics, appealing for help.
avoidance strategy - (answers)SLA Abandoning a message or replacing an original messae with
one that is less ambitious.
communicative activity - (answers)METHODOLOGY Activity in which real communication
occurs. Key features: purposefulness, reciprocity, negotiation, unpredictability, heterogeneity,
synchronicity.
communicative approach - (answers)METHODOLOGY An umbrella term used to describe a
major shift in language teaching that occurred in Europe in the 1970s. Shift away from language
systems and toward how these systems are used in real communication. Linguistic competience
replaced with focus on communicative competence. Directly related to functional-notional
syllabus.
Module 1 Exam. ELT terms from an A-Z of ELT by Scott Thornbury/ 327
Q&A.
acculturation - (answers)SLA The process by which a person integrates into a particular culture.
One of the first theories of SLA that attempted to prioritize social factors over purely cognitive
ones. It has been partly rehabilitated under the name socialization.
accuracy - (answers)SLA The extent to which a learner's use of a second language conforms to
the rules of the language. Once thought to be a precondition for fluency.
achievement test - (answers)TESTING Designed to test what learners have learned over a week,
month, term or entire course. Because ___ ___s are directly related to the content of the teaching
program, they provide feedback on the teaching-learning process, and are therefore useful data
for course evaluation.
action research - (answers)METHODOLOGY A form of teacher-driven research, the twin goals
of which are to improve classroom practice, and to 'empower' teachers. Typically motivated less
by the desire to answer the 'big' questions than by the need to solve a specific teaching problem
in the local context.
planning->acting->observing->reflecting
adolescents - (answers)METHODOLOGY The ideal time to learn a second language. This age
group tends to outperform adults and to progress more rapidly than younger learners.
affect - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY The general word for emotion or feelings. These factors
positively or negatively influence language learning. Often contrasted with cognitive factors such
as intelligence and learning style. Low ___ive filter=emotionally well-disposed to processing
input High ___ive=won't process input so effecitively.
affix, affixation - (answers)VOCABULARY An element that is added to a word and which
changes its meaning. The process of doing this.
,affordance - (answers)LINGUISTICS The language learning opportunities that exist in a
learner's linguistic 'environment.' Maximized with meaningful activities and giving learners
feedback.
agency - (answers)METHODOLOGY Control of your own actions, including your mental
activity. A notion from critical pedagogy. Learners are not objects of the teaching process; they
are subjects of the learning process. A factor that contributes to motivation.
applied linguistics - (answers)LINGUISTICS Concerned with the application of linguistic theory
to solving language-related problems in the real world. Language planning, speech therapy,
lexcography, translation studies, forensic linguistics.
appraisal - (answers)LINGUISTICS Also called stance; the way speakers and writers use
language to express their personal attitude to what is being said or written; one of the main ways
that language's interpersonal function is realized; consists of 3 categories: affect (personal
feelings), judgment (social values and social esteem), appreciation (opinions). These can all be
expressed lexically, grammatically or through the use of paralinguistic devices.
appropriacy - (answers)SOCIOLINGUISTICS Using language in a way that is suitable for the
context and in a way that meets the expectations of the people you are communicating with. An
aspect of sociolinguistic competence, which is a component of a speaker's overall
communicative competence. (Dell Hymes)
appropriation - (answers)SLA To make something your own. Gaining ownership of a skill by
first doing it with someone who is more skilled than you are until you can control or regulate the
skill yourself. A key concept in sociocultural learning theory. Language is not simply a behavior
that is conditioned through repeated practice, but that it is one of collaborative construction, in
which skills are transferred in socially-situated activity.
aptitude - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY The innate talent or predisposition for language learning. 3
kinds of ability: auditory, linguistic, memory.
aspect - (answers)GRAMMAR The way the speaker's 'view' of an event is expressed by the verb
phrase, regardless of the time of the event itself. 2 of these in English: progressive and perfect.
,contingency - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY The sense that what is happening is connected to what
has just happened and what is about to happen.
audiolingualism - (answers)METHODOLOGY Became widespread in the US in the 1950s and
60s. Distinctive feature=drilling of sentence patterns. Came from a view of learning as habit
formation (behaviorism). Spoken language was prioritized; translation and the use of
metalanguage were discouraged; accuracy was considered a precondition for fluency. Shot down
by Chomsky in the early 60s and the birth of mentalism.
authenticity - (answers)LINGUISTICS Became a priority with the communicative approach. The
idea of "grade the task, not the text" was born. This kind of interaction is both more
communicative and offers more affordances for learning.
automaticity - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY The ability to perform a task without having to focus
attention on it. This frees a learner's limited attentional resources for more demanding activities.
A process of setting up chunks and associations that link one step with another. This doesn't
mean a sacrifice of accuracy. When chunks of language are produced in a pre-assembled form,
the speaker has much less chance of making mistakes.
autonomy - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY Also called self-directed learning. The capacity to take
responsibility for your own learning.
behaviorism - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY A psychological theory popular in the mid-twentieth
century that viewed learning as a sort of habit formation and positive reinforcement.
Audiolingualism is the teaching method that is associated with this. stimulus-response-
reinforcement.
This theory rejected any role, in learning, for mental processes such as thought and reasoning.
bilingualism - (answers)SLA At one point it was considered a handicap to second language
learners since (according to behaviorist theory) the first language interferes with the second.
ADDITIVE=second language added to first without threatening the speaker's first language
identity; SUBTRACTIVE=the second language replaces the first, threatening the speaker's
language identity.
, cognitive learning theory - (answers)PSYCHOLOGY A learning theory that draws upon ideas
from cognitive psychology, the branch of psychology that deals with perception and thinking.
Piaget first proposed the view that language develops out of the child's thoughts and growing
awareness of the world. A later version suggests that the child acquires language by forming and
testing hypotheses about the adult language it hears around it. Has been criticized as being
mechanistic, and for ignoring social and affective factors.
coherence - (answers)DISCOURSE How the sentences in a text relate to each other.
cohesion - (answers)DISCOURSE The use of grammatical and lexical means to achieve
connected text. LEXICAL: repetition, synonyms, general words, same thematic field,
substitution, ellipsis; GRAMMATICAL: references, substitution, ellipsis, linkers, parallelism
collocation - (answers)VOCABULARY Words that frequently occur together. Can be
grammatical (collocate with specific prepositions: "account for") or lexical: "narrow escape."
communication strategy - (answers)SLA Ways that learners get around the fact that they may not
know how to say something, but that help the learner achieve their intended message:
paraphrase, word coinage, foreignizing a word, approximation, all-purpose words, language-
switching, paralinguistics, appealing for help.
avoidance strategy - (answers)SLA Abandoning a message or replacing an original messae with
one that is less ambitious.
communicative activity - (answers)METHODOLOGY Activity in which real communication
occurs. Key features: purposefulness, reciprocity, negotiation, unpredictability, heterogeneity,
synchronicity.
communicative approach - (answers)METHODOLOGY An umbrella term used to describe a
major shift in language teaching that occurred in Europe in the 1970s. Shift away from language
systems and toward how these systems are used in real communication. Linguistic competience
replaced with focus on communicative competence. Directly related to functional-notional
syllabus.
