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Shahid Abrar-ul-Hassan is an EFL lecturer at the Language Center, Sultan Qaboos University, in the Sultanate of Oman. He is the past chair of TESOL's English for Specific Purposes Interest Section. He is an alumnus of the Monterey Institute for International Studies (TESOL Program), and his research interests include ESP, language acquisition/pedagogy, and linguistic issues.
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Language Development Hinges on Communication: An Emergentist Perspective
Article first published online: 3 JAN 2012
DOI: 10.5054/tj.2011.269749
2011 TESOL International Association
Additional Information
How to Cite
ABRAR-UL-HASSAN, S. (2011), Language Development Hinges on Communication: An Emergentist Perspective. TESOL Journal, 2: 510–520. doi: 10.5054/tj.2011.269749
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Shahid Abrar-ul-Hassan is an EFL lecturer at the Language Center, Sultan Qaboos University, in the Sultanate of Oman. He is the past chair of TESOL's English for Specific Purposes Interest Section. He is an alumnus of the Monterey Institute for International Studies (TESOL Program), and his research interests include ESP, language acquisition/pedagogy, and linguistic issues.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 3 JAN 2012
- Article first published online: 3 JAN 2012
- Abstract
- References
- Cited By
Studies on the human language system have brought to the fore two key aspects. First, the prime function of language is communication. Second, language exists in the social world. The language learning process takes place within the socio-cultural context and the relevant macrostructures that influence language use and development. According to the emergentist perspective, during the language learning process communication plays the central role in the emergence of a language system in a learner. Thus, the grammatical structures emerge through discourse as a result of the interaction between the learner and the environment. This article explicates, from the emergentist perspective, the vital role of communication, particularly authentic communication, in the emergence of linguistic structures. It also sums up the pedagogical implications of this understanding.