“元语言”:外语教学分析的新视角

Metalanguage:A New Angle to Analyze Foreign Language Teaching

元语言在英语教学领域中一开始并没有受到学者们重视,学者往往关注形式化"元"语言的言语性研究,而对元语言与外语教学的关系很少涉及。实际上,元语言是一种"工具语言"或"人为语言",不仅在语言知识领域中广泛应用,还是英语教学活动中非常重要的一部分,是教师必不可少的语言教学工具。如果一味强调语言的"使用"而排斥"提及",放弃语言知识和语法教学,忽视对学生元语言知识和技能的培训,实际上只是片面培养"交流技能",而非"交际能力",我们就会囚禁在语言学家所谓的"语言牢笼"中而找不到突破口。

Metalanguage is neglected by scholars in foreign language teaching. Scholars always pay more attention to metalanguage itself and pay less attention to the relationship between metalangage and foreign language teaching. In fact, metalanguage is a kind of instrumental or manmade language, it is not only widely used in linguistic field, it is also a very important part of foreign language teaching. It is an indispensable linguistic teaching instrument for teachers. Influenced by communicative teaching method, some teachers are The article maintains that if we neglect metalinguistic knowleage and skills in teaching students＇ communicative skills rather than communicative ability.