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CONTENTS
SAAL Quarterly is under the editorship of Dr T. Ruanni F. Tupas. Please address your correspondence and contributions to: Dr T. Ruanni F. Tupas (elcttr@nus.edu.sg), Centre for English Language Communication, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore 119260. A FEW WORDS FROM THE NEW SAAL PRESIDENT
SAAL Annual General Meeting
Dr Chng Huang Hoon The Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics (SAAL) was established in 1985 and under the leadership of Prof Mary Tay, SAAL took flight. A/P Anne Pakir succeeded Mary as the second President of SAAL in 1990, and for 14 years, Anne built up the association to what it is today. I am honoured to be part of this tradition and will do my utmost in taking over from where Anne left off. I was brought into SAAL by Anne in 1996, and I have served as Honorary Secretary since 1998. I have learnt many valuable lessons from just watching Anne -- how to engage people, to listen to them, to be less impatient, and to serve with passion, and much more. It is not easy to detail the debt I owe to Anne (and to my fellow SAAL exco friends of many years) and for the friendship and kindness that have been extended to me. I would like to ask my new Vice President, Dr Low Ee Ling to present on behalf of SAAL, a token of our appreciation to Anne for directing SAAL for so many years. I am happy to announce that Anne will remain with SAAL as our new SAAL adviser. We look forward to learning from her experience. I also want to record my gratitude to Dr Ho Wah Kam. I know Dr Ho as the SAAL adviser, mentor and friend who has guided the SAAL exco for more years than I can count. I have learnt much from just observing and listening to this generally quiet and humble man. Dr Ho never hogs the limelight, preferring to let ¡°the young ones¡± take credit for every task accomplished. However, I know enough to listen when he speaks because he is a man whose wisdom and judgement I value. I am grateful that he has accepted our invitation to be the new Patron of SAAL My new exco members and I look forward to his continued involvement in SAAL. I would like to ask Ee Ling to present on behalf of SAAL, a token of our appreciation to Dr Ho. We also wish to record our thanks to Dr Goh Yeng Seng and Mrs Jenny Gan for serving as auditors for SAAL; and we thank and welcome Dr Vincent Ooi and Dr Alvin Leong for agreeing to serve as auditors in the new SAAL term. Alvin will also continue to serve as the SAAL webmaster. Dr Teng Su Ching has been a key person to SAAL in many ways. I am glad to note that she has agreed to continue to provide advice related to our finances behind the scene. I congratulate the SAAL Exco (2002-2004) for having done such a good job, especially in organizing AILA2002 and the more recent SAAL-STU colloquium on grammar in November 2003. I look forward to working with the new Exco and welcome ideas from all SAAL members about extending SAAL's impact and reach in the academic community, here and abroad. Please do not hesitate to contact me at ellchh@nus.edu.sg should you have an idea to share with us. ↑ Top | ← Publications
AN INTERVIEW A/P Anne Pakir took over the helm of SAAL from A/P Mary Tay, the founder President in 1990 and served as President of SAAL till 2004. In her 14 years as SAAL President, Anne was tireless in promoting SAAL abroad and locally. During her Presidency, SAAL was involved in a number of crucial events such as a series of SAAL-Singapore Teachers' Union (STU) Colloquia on the topic of "The English Language in Singapore" and more recently, the 13th World Congress of Applied Linguistics (AILA 2002, 16-21 December 2002) which was hosted by SAAL. SAAL owes much to her, and we wish to record our gratitude. Dr Low Ee Ling, Vice President of SAAL talks to Anne about her SAAL presidency. Low Ee Ling (EL): What would you consider the main milestones in your SAAL presidency? Anne Pakir (AP): One very important milestone for me is not just the hosting of the AILA2002, the 13th World Congress of Applied Linguistics but winning the bid to host it in Finland in 1996. Let me explain. Back in 1990, when SAAL first made a bid to host AILA in Thessaloniki, in Greece, we were not a serious contender. Six years later, in 1996, in Finland, with the wise advice and direction of Dr Ho Wah Kam, immediate past SAAL advisor, SAAL won the bid to host AILA2002. And SAAL's hosting of AILA2002 has been lauded by A/P Tony Hung of Hong Kong Baptist University and an ex-Exco member as, "SAAL's proudest moment". Apart from AILA2002, I would also consider the various colloquia that SAAL has jointly organized with STU on "The English Language in Singapore" as a landmark in my presidency. Arising from these seminars, we have also started SAAL's publishing arm with 7 books in the series and a total of 9 books published since 1993. The collaboration with STU and its professional activities center has also meant that SAAL has been able to reach out to the wider teaching community and to attempt disseminating research findings to inform pedagogical practices. I also started the SAAL Lecture series where prominent researchers in Applied Linguistics are invited to give a talk to SAAL members and the local Applied Linguistics community. To date, SAAL has organized 21 SAAL lectures since its inception. I am also proud of the SAAL Quarterly which serves as a platform for SAAL to highlight the current research undertaken by its members and to publicise upcoming SAAL events and international conferences on Applied Linguistics. EL: What were some of your goals when you first took over as President and did you feel that they were largely achieved? AP: I wanted SAAL to make an impact in the then growing discipline of Applied Linguistics both locally and abroad. I also hoped to see a marriage between Applied Linguistics research and its practical pedagogical applications. I also aimed to build closer links with SAAL's parent body AILA. To achieve this, I volunteered to serve in the Executive Board and the International Committee (EB/IC) of AILA and faithfully attended the EB/IC meetings in order to map SAAL in the international Applied Linguistics scene. EL: What advice can you offer to the new SAAL Leadership and what do you wish to see in SAAL's future? AP: I would like to reiterate the articulation of SAAL's 'VITAL' existence where the new younger leadership can carry the distinction of SAAL's name forward with V for Vision, I for Innovation, T & A for TAlent and L for Leadership. I would also like to add that the groundwork has been laid for the international recognition for SAAL. It is important for the new team to define the niche areas of research that impact on Applied Linguistics and the professional applications of such research. Some key areas of the future which are gaining prominence in Applied Linguistics are: Educational linguistics, new paradigms for Sociolinguistics emerging from the East and perhaps even informing the West, to name a few. SAAL needs to constantly achieve a constant dynamic flow between the academic strand and the more practical applications. To grow academically, the new team needs to continuously build up publication and research niche areas in their own disciplines and to form Special Interest Groups (SIGs) in these areas to attract both local and international collaborators. At the same time, those who are more interested in 'problem-centred' disciplines can form Learning Interest Groups (LIGs) and both groups should constantly meet and share about how best the latest research findings can better inform everyday practice. The new team should work on crafting a vision statement, articulate a mission and some core values. Perhaps (suggested tongue-in-cheek), the vision statement can be: Applied Linguistics: Where East Meets West. To create international presence, the Executive Committee members must be supportive of AILA parent body activities like serving on the committee, being part of the AILA review editorial board, or contributing articles to the AILA Review. Each AILA congress should also be viewed as an opportunity to showcase SAAL research to an international audience. Finally, I cannot over-emphasise the importance of leadership renewal and suggest that key committee members identify and groom younger leaders every 5-6 years in order to ensure SAAL's continued growth. ↑ Top | ← Publications The following is the second set of paper abstracts to appear in SAAL's The English Language in Singapore Series: Changing Perspectives on Grammar in the Classroom. The papers grew out of workshops presented at the SAAL-Singapore Teachers' Union Colloquium on the same topic on 27-28 November 2003 at the Regional Language Centre (RELC), Singapore.
Grammar and fluency in Singapore This paper engages in issues related to contentious notions of good and bad grammar. McArthur grounds his case on the assumption that both traditional and current grammatical terminology is far from consistent, and that such terminology and its 'rules' change as language and theories of language also change. Therefore, questions that need to be addressed revolve around the appropriateness of the choice of grammar to be taught, including which and whose grammar. McArthur argues that such issues may be adequately addressed by looking to 'internationally acceptable English', or what he prefers to call World Standard English, as a possible standard to be used to teach grammar. While local Englishes like Singlish are more homely and personal, an internationally acceptable English, he says, is shared by educated users of the language, including writers in reputable international magazines and newscasters from huge media companies like BBC and CNN. Consequently, in teaching grammar we need to think of a grammar of speech and a grammar of writing because, as an example, global communication prods us to give a great amount of attention to matters of rhythms and contrasts of speech, perhaps even more than identifying misrelated participles and split infinitives.
Use of the past perfective in Standard Singapore English This paper investigates the distinctive use of the past perfective in Standard Singapore English using data from The Straits Times and undergraduate student written work. In British English, the past perfective, which refers to a past event which occurred further back earlier than some other past event, is nevertheless very rarely used and, if it occurs at all, is specially used in indirect speech, hypothetical conditionals, and attitudinal usage. In Standard Singapore English, Low & Deterding found that the past perfective is used even without reference to either a past event which occurred earlier than another event or a hypothetical conditional. In many cases, the present perfective is used when the present perfective or simple past in British English would have been used. The authors suggest that such unique uses of the past perfective in Standard Singapore English may have resulted from the need for special emphasis and stylistic variation, as well as from the need to emphasize the pastness of an event because of the absence of a past-time adverb. Based on student responses to the use of a past perfective in a given sentence, the authors conclude that while some Singaporeans use the past perfective in the same way that it is used in British English, there is evidence that it also plays the role of a simple past form.
From grammar to text: A grammarian's approach to text types This paper discusses various perspectives on grammar and their implications for language teaching. Alsagoff & James trace the theoretical development of such views from notions (and teaching) of grammar as form, to notions (and teaching) of grammar as meaning. While demonstrating the pedagogical uses of all perspectives through sample language exercises, the authors nevertheless show preference for notions of grammar as meaning because grammar, they argue, is in text. The authors demonstrate how grammatical forms are meaningful only when used in texts, thus advancing a view of grammar that is inextricably tied up with meaning and context. Teaching grammar in context, therefore, will help students expand their grammatical resources to better conceptualize their world, deal with others through various modes of interaction, and produce texts cohesively. Teachers thus, the authors emphasize, must exploit the meaning-making potential of language by striking a balance between meaningless drills and no teaching of grammar at all.
Are verbs just 'doing' words? Using the Hallidayan framework of Systemic Functional Grammar, Wee demonstrates how the traditional notion of verbs as 'doing' words is very limited and does not capture the complex ways they function through language. Different types of verbs express different aspects of our experience, thus there are 'action' verbs, 'saying' verbs, 'thinking' verbs, 'linking' verbs, and so on. These verb-types are various processes of experience built into language use. The main types of process are 'material', 'mental', and 'relational' processes, while 'behavioural', 'verbal', and 'existential' processes are minor ones. Bee goes on to show examples of doing functional text analysis and how such analysis reveals various text types which are characterized by the predominant occurrence of certain processes. According to Wee, a functional approach to grammar will help broaden students' linguistic repertoire of expressing their experience of the world in writing and speaking. Relatedly, students may develop a keen awareness of differences between text types, as well as broaden their choices of processes in developing characters in stories. The paper ends with notes on some research showing how students use process types in texts, with boys and girls making meaning of their world and the world of their characters in radically different ways.
Concordancing: An on-line journey of language discovery In this paper, Gallo & Deng introduce the on-line concordancer as a tool for more effective language teaching and learning. In recent years, this tool, which uses vast corpus data of authentic language use, has become accessible to teachers and learners with the availability of free, online concordance samplers. The authors note how recent research has demonstrated the effectiveness of the use of concordances both in the study of word choice, collocations, and grammar, and in harnessing communicative competence, motivation levels, and independent learning among students in the classroom. The authors suggest three steps for teachers to help students make great use of the concordancer: first, to explain and demonstrate how and why it is an effective tool for language learning; second, to train students how to apply it appropriately; and third, to help students interpret results properly. The authors also show how the concordancer can be exploited by teachers for the construction of valuable classroom materials and activities for language teaching. These include finding words used in several contexts, finding collocations for a particular word, crossword puzzles, sentence reordering, and grammar awareness raising activities.
Abstracted by T. Ruanni F. Tupas ↑ Top | ← Publications
Language Policies and Language Education in East Asia: An Annotated Bibliography For Language Educators, Postgraduate Students And Researchers. This bibliography is a timely contribution to the field of applied linguistics in East Asia. Not only will it become a useful tool for the researchers in applied linguistics, but the book will bring the research area itself to the foreground in the fields of education and public policies in East Asia. Given the various historical, political and educational backgrounds of the East Asia's countries, language policy and education concerns are the most complex and challenging issues. The book addresses these issues and provides sources of information for the solution-finders. For this, we must thank, apart from the authors, the publisher, Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics (SAAL). SAAL is an affiliate of the Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquee (AILA). The book is but one of the many efforts by SAAL to meet the needs of professionals in these fields since its foundation in 1985. The compilers of the bibliography are two Singaporean scholars, Ho Wah Kam and Ruth Wong, of great repute in the field of applied linguistics, with numerous works in language policies and language education produced over years of collaboration, including the acclaimed Ho & Wong (2000) and Ho & Wong (2002) (cf. Xu 2000, in press). The book contains abstracts of some 500 papers by researchers from 16 different countries and regions in East Asia. Hong Kong (S.A.R. of China), Singapore, Indonesia, Mainland China, Japan and Malaysia contribute most of the papers, and the rest from elsewhere, dating back from the 1950s to the present day. The bibliography gives a panoramic view of the field of applied linguistics in East Asia. The papers abstracted are by authors from a broad range of backgrounds, allowing views of linguistic issues from different angles. With authors working both in and outside of a particular country, the readers can read both "insider" and "outsider" views of the relevant issues. Similarly, apart from residential differences, authors are also classifiable by cultural backgrounds: "native" and "foreign" scholars. Not all the papers are in English, many are in different languages of the countries of origin. If the articles are presented in "native languages", the abstracts give the titles both in the national or official language of the country and in English, convenient both for the native researchers and the general English readership as well. Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia all give the richest descriptions of linguistic diversity, perhaps due to similar historical experiences of colonialism. Hong Kong especially, with its return of sovereignty to China, takes a change from diglossia to triglossia, as Putonghua, the official language variety of the People's Republic of China gains ground. The papers from Hong Kong reveal the linguistic change as well as the people's present attitudes towards language issues, among which English and English language teaching figure prominently. Researchers from People's Republic of China contributed a large number of titles to this bibliography. Great social and economic changes have been taking place in China since its opening to the outside world in the 1980s, and English has taken an unprecedented role in this developing country. Meanwhile, English language teaching has become the core topic in the language research at colleges and universities in China. Papers on Chinese language teaching also increased its share in the linguistic research of the country. The bibliography has filled a blank in the field of applied linguistics in a regional purview. Developments in the 16 education systems are easy to perceive from the 138-page bibliography. In some of the countries those are realized more at the level of government documents, while others are going from government policy level to the practical reality. Interactions between policy makers and policy implementers make another topic, as revealed by the research papers on the media of instruction in Hong Kong schools (Lin 1998, Poon 1998 -- Ho & Wong 2003: 41). The book is well organized and is a versatile research tool. It is organized into 16 "country sections". Also, "Papers on ELT" are recorded in most of the sections. The indexes of the bibliography offer a well-organized set of information, arranged by authors and by the descriptions of the topics. Easy and quick access to the intended subject areas is right at hand. Finally I would like to point out that, although the compilers collected works till the end of 2002, it is still found to lack the most recent information in some cases. For instance, in China, a new curriculum for a nine-year primary and secondary English language teaching was launched in 2001 (Ministry of Education, 2001), and many research works appeared to be reacting towards the new language curriculum (Zhen. 2001; Yang. 2002, among others). It may be expecting too much for all those to be included in this bibliography, but apparently a further bibliography will be needed very soon. Actually in the preface the editors have made it clear that the book will "form a good basis on which to develop a more fully developed version of an annotated bibliography on language policies and language education in East Asia" (Ho & Wong 2003: v). In this respect we can place some hope. I am sure there will be more work from the two contributors that will benefit us. I should stress that the two scholars have done an unprecedented work for applied linguistic research in East Asia. For researchers and students in the field of applied linguistics, this annotated bibliography provides an excellent starting point to conceive or design a research project. With its wide coverage, and its easy access to the intended research subjects, one could pursue relevant information efficiently. For educators, researchers, and policy-makers, the book would be a great help for their work and study. References
Reviewed by Wang Hong, English Department ↑ Top | ← Publications
Using IT in the Language Classroom: A Guide for Teachers and Students in Asia. Information Technology (IT) is, of course, having a huge impact on the way we teach, and the widespread adoption of IT in language education provides us the opportunity to reflect on our teaching and (one hopes) improve it. This book offers an invaluable role in stimulating this reflective process by posing some crucial questions that we should all be asking: How much variety do we include in our lessons, by making use of the huge range of materials that are now available on the Web? How flexible are our classes, and to what extent do we allow our students to progress at different rates? To what extent are we willing to take the risks that are essential for a truly flexible lesson? And, crucially, how pupil-oriented is our teaching? With regard to the last question, it is somewhat ironic that the software that is most widely used in the classroom is probably PowerPoint, a tool that is designed to ensure that the focus of attention remains fixed firmly on the presentation at the front and thus generally inhibits real interaction between the teacher and students and also between the students themselves. One wonders why, for example, the lights are so often dimmed when a PowerPoint presentation begins. Sometimes it seems that PowerPoint does not just ensure that the focus of everyone is glued to what is happening at the front of the room, it goes one step further by making the computer the centre of attention while the teacher is relegated to the role of a mere slave of this new god of the classroom. This book does not attempt to provide any straightforward answers to this issue, of how we can ensure that adoption of IT in the language classroom can provide enhanced interaction rather than just perpetuating the old methods in a new, more powerful, more mesmerising format. Consistent with its underlying spirit of encouraging flexibility and constructive reflection rather than providing any fixed answers, the book asks readers to seek out answers themselves, often by requiring them to fill in empty tables in response to tasks that are set and then share their entries with their classmates. In this respect, the book functions as an excellent textbook for a course on IT in the language classroom, though perhaps independent readers will find the empty tables less useful, particularly as such readers lack the opportunity to share their responses with others. The book includes chapters on a wide range of topics connected with the adoption of IT in language teaching, including an overview of the history of IT usage, educational policy and IT, the appropriate use of references to acknowledge sources and avoid plagiarism, literacy in the digital age, IT in language testing and assessment, the use of IT in the literature classroom, and a brief look at the future of IT for language teaching. One of the most interesting chapters is that on digital scepticism, where widespread and often quite reasonable doubts about the value of using IT in language education are discussed. Ultimately, of course, the authors believe that IT can provide exceptionally valuable resources for language teachers, but they consider the objections of others carefully and acknowledge that some of the reservations may be well founded. Furthermore, they emphasise that care must be taken at all times in the adoption of IT, to ensure that we do not merely provide the same materials in a slightly fancier format, for example by exchanging paper-based multiple-choice questions with identical tests presented on a computer screen, but that instead we use the new tools and resources that are becoming available to prepare genuinely more varied, more flexible, more learner-oriented material. One topic that gains very little coverage is the use of computer software for teaching pronunciation, as the focus of the book seems to be firmly on the development of skills in reading and writing. But this is a minor gripe, especially when so much else is covered so thoughtfully, and one must admit that it is not possible for absolutely everything concerned with language education to be covered comprehensively in a single book. While it is designed as a coursebook and its full value may only emerge for those who participate in a course on IT in language teaching and thus have the opportunity to discuss and compare their ideas with their classmates, everyone involved in language education will find much of interest in this book. It is hoped that it can stimulate in all of us a healthy process of reflection not just in how we use IT in our lessons, but also in all aspects of how we go about teaching language in the modern age.
Reviewed by David Deterding Response to Deterding's Book Review We thank David for his review of our book. In the final paragraph of his review, David mentions that while our book is designed as a coursebook, its full value may only emerge for those who have the opportunity to discuss and compare their ideas with their classmates. This point is well-taken as we know from our own experiences that most of our tasks require students to work cooperatively in response to the challenges we set (see the electronic bulletin board discussion at "http://www.ell.nie.edu.sg/forum/non-cgi/ultimatebb.php?category=1" for sample responses). But what about other readers? For teachers and instructors intending to use our book as a set text, a free Instructor's Guide is available at the following companion Website: "http://www.pearsoned-asia.com/towndrow/". These documents contain indispensable information and an extended discussion of how our material can be exploited in formal instructional settings. Perhaps, if there were sufficient demand from independent readers of our book, our publisher might consider making this material available to a wider audience at a small cost.
Phillip A. Towndrow & Michael Vallance ↑ Top | ← Publications INTRODUCING THE SAAL SUB-COMMITTEES The 2004-2006 Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics (SAAL) Executive Committee (Exco) was elected into office on 14th August 2004 at the 19th Annual General Meeting held at the NTU Staff Club Function Room. The new board hopes to further enhance SAAL's impact and outreach as an academic organization in Singapore and abroad. To facilitate a more efficient workflow, the new board comprising 12 members has been divided into the following 3 subcommittees:
Each subcommittee has established its own terms of reference, defining its own way to forward SAAL goals. Research & Publication Subcommittee (R&P): A major goal of this subcommittee is to reshape the traditional definition of the field of applied linguistics. Members of this subcommittee share the view that applied linguistics is more than just about education issues. More crucially, applied linguistics should be expanded to include any kind of research that is critically reflective of its own practice, and should encompass research that is sensitive to language use in cognitive, economic, ideological, political and socio-cultural contexts. Through defining a more coherent research programme, the Research & Publication Subcommittee hopes to firmly establish and consolidate SAAL's academic impact in Singapore and abroad. To this end, while this subcommittee will strategize and define the research agenda, all SAAL members are encouraged to contact any of the above subcommittee members to share their own research ideas and project proposals. Whenever possible, the R&P looks forward to joint research ventures with SAAL members who have proposed viable research projects. As we speak, this subcommittee is working on the following projects:
Finance & Membership Subcommittee (F&M): This subcommittee deals with all SAAL financial matters and with internal membership relations. Finance hopes to find ways to raise funds for SAAL and to stretch every available SAAL dollar for financing our activities, both academic and social, for the benefit of all SAAL members. As of today, SAAL has 97 members. The membership arm will look into ways of expanding the SAAL membership base so as to raise SAAL's profile in the local context. F&P welcomes token donations and ideas from members about how best to raise SAAL's profile and financial health. Publicity & Outreach Subcommittee (P&O): The Publicity & Outreach Subcommittee aims to create SAAL presence both locally and globally. This subcommittee is in charge of publicizing all SAAL events, and is responsible for extending global networks for SAAL by building external relations with other academic organizations. P&O will help to organize talks, panel discussions, lectures and seminars focusing on themes which are discussed with R & P. One social activity that P&O will be looking into is to come up with a good proposal for celebrating SAAL's 20th Anniversary in 2005. Currently, SAAL (and by extension, SAAL members) is affiliated to AILA. To expand SAAL's foreign connection, Outreach is currently exploring the advantages of establishing Affiliate status with TESOL and is researching into other regional and global partner organizations which may benefit our members. Ideas from members are welcome. The 3 subcommittees hope to keep you informed of our activities through the SAAL website, which has been set up and is currently maintained by Alvin Leong. Please visit us regularly at http://www.saal.org.sg to keep in touch with developments. Invitation to SAAL Members: If you have an idea you wish to share, whether it is to collaborate with us on a research project, or to suggest ways to boost the local SAAL membership base, or an activity you wish to see SAAL organize, please get in touch with any of us in the exco, or get in touch with your own SAAL representative -- he/she will help to redirect your views/feedback to the relevant subcommittee. We look forward to an exciting and happy two years ahead!
Chng Huang Hoon
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