This document discusses approaches to developing language course content and syllabi. It addresses the tension between discrete and holistic views of language. The key points are: 1) Course development should combine linguistic forms, notions, functions, lexis and language skills in a systematic way that provides for generalization. 2) Inventories of grammatical topics, notions, functions and sociocultural contexts should be developed to provide appropriate sequencing and cultural contextualization. 3) Both discrete and holistic views are needed, as are accuracy and fluency. Various models are proposed to integrate these elements in a communicative syllabus.

2. FOCUSING ON LANGUAGE
CONTENT IN A
COMMUNICATIVE
SYLLABUS

3. WAHYU UTAMI
2010 1250 0440
SURYONO
2010 1250 1260

4. Discrete and holistic
views: the horns
of a dilemma
Integrating notional and
functional meaning with
grammar thematic content and
lexis

6. Teachers need to do the following :
Present lingustic formssystematically
usecommunicativecontext
useavariety of text – types

7. what is needed for course
development is to combine forms,
notions, functions, lexis and
language skills.

8. DEVELOPING
INVENTORIES
NOTIONS AND
GRAMMAR
THEMES AND TOPICS
SOCIOCULTURAL
FUNCTIONS

9. A. All the grammatical topics to be taught during the
course, organized in a sequence suitable for
systematic learning and for generalizations that can
be developed along the way;
B. A list of notional categories to be taught during the
course.

10. A. To provide appropriate cultural
contextualization for the language
material in the syllabus.
B. To motivate interest by using topics
that are relevant and appealing to a
particular group of learners.

11.  The typical situations in which each speech act is
used by native speakers.
 The extent to which the speech act changes in form
or selection of the particular utterance according to
the participants taking part.
 The most frequent utterances that native speakers
use to carry out this speech act in formal and
informal settings.

12. The goal is to create course plans which will
consist of a theme, a list of notions and
grammatical structures, and a selection of
functions.

13. Lexis is derived in part from the
notional-grammatical inventory;
time expressions; prepositions;
verbs that fit the patterns.
Lexis has failed to receive
enough attention either in older
grammatical syllabuses or in
more recent communicative
approaches.

15. Plannersneed to work with mapsof languagecontent
which arecompatiblewith thechronological
constraintsof theinstructional setting, so grammars
which segment languageinto discreteelementshave
great appeal.

18. • It has gained prominence through the
influence of a humanistically oriented
philosophy.
• The unit of analysis of language itself has
come to be viewed by linguistic scholars and
those in related disciplines not as single
sentences, but rather so longer spans of
language or discourse.

19. Second & foreign language instruction
has ;
to a great extent
incorporated the discrete element view
of language
particularly in audiolingual and
cognitive – code approaches

21.  Human languages differ in the
manner in which forms represent
functions.
 Forms and functions in language
are manisfestations of the discrete
vs. holistic dilemma as it appears
in the domain of language content.

22.  Fluency, has been associated with
communicating one’s idea, getting the
meaning across, or in the terms of the
dichotomy, using language either
holistically or comprehensively.
 Accuracy processes are concerned with those
aspects of language content that are
conducive to analysis through dissection.

23.  Those who stress knowing the
formal properties of language
as a proper outcome for
learners in a language course,
and ‘activists’ those who
stress using language actively.

24. Various sequential plans have been proposed for
course design :
A holistic approach
A more structural / notional approach
The early phrase of the course is structural
The course follows a thematic, communicative tone,
similar a language arts course.

25. Other suggestions have been made for the utilization of language
content based on analyses that are less tied to discreteness since
they draw on systemic characteristic
An approach to the study of human language
might provide course designers a framework
which brings a synthesis of discrete and
holistic view.

27. “FOCUSING ON
LANGUAGE
CONTENT IN A
COMMUNICATIVE
SYLLABUS “
(this presentation is an excerpt
of chapter 6 of course design”
by Fraida Dubin & Elite
Olshtain)