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Textbook English
A multi-dimensional approach
This book provides a systematic, empirical account of the language typically presented in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks, based on a large corpus of EFL textbooks used in secondary schools. A modified version of the Multi-Dimensional Analysis (MDA) framework serves to examine linguistic variation both within textbooks and compared to corpora representing ‘real-life’ English as used outside the EFL classroom. The results highlight the characteristics of Textbook English that define it as a distinct variety of English. In light of the study's pedagogical implications, this book proposes a range of corpus-based approaches to improve the naturalness of textbook texts. It also contributes to advancing quantitative corpus linguistics methodology: its detailed online supplements aim for methodological transparency and reproducibility in line with the principles of Open Science. This book will be of interest to linguistics and language education students and researchers, as well as EFL teachers, textbook authors and editors, and those involved in curriculum development and teacher training.
[Studies in Corpus Linguistics, 116] 2024. xix, 294 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 6 July 2024
Published online on 6 July 2024
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements | pp. xi–xii
- List of figures | pp. xiii–xvi
- List of tables | pp. xvii–xviii
- List of abbreviations | pp. xix–xx
- Chapter 1. Introduction | pp. 1–4
- Chapter 2. Context and rationale: Why study textbook English? | pp. 5–24
- Chapter 3. Research on the language of school EFL textbooks: The state of the art | pp. 25–63
- Chapter 4. Research aims and corpus data | pp. 64–95
- Chapter 5. Methodology: Adapting the multi-dimensional analysis (MDA) framework | pp. 96–139
- Chapter 6. A model of intra-textbook linguistic variation | pp. 140–166
- Chapter 7. A comparative model of Textbook English vs. ‘real-world’ English | pp. 167–194
- Chapter 8. Discussion: What is Textbook English? | pp. 195–203
- Chapter 9. Pedagogical implications and recommendations | pp. 204–236
- Chapter 10. Methodological reflections | pp. 237–244
- Chapter 11. Conclusions | pp. 245–251
- References | pp. 252–289
- Appendices | p. 291
- Index | p. 293
“Elen Le Foll’s Textbook English is an impressive and generous contribution to corpus-based research on English register variation and English Language Teaching (ELT) materials. The book offers a detailed account of the kinds of English found in European (German, French, Spanish) secondary school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbooks, comparing them to the varieties that learners are likely to hear and read outside the classroom. [...]I found Textbook English to be a significant and generous scholarly offering. It will serve both researchers and educators, and I expect it to be cited often for its
findings and methodological innovations. The combination of a rigorously compiled, openly documented corpus with a carefully adapted MDA framework makes it an important resource for corpus linguistics, applied linguistics, educational linguistics and English language teaching.”
findings and methodological innovations. The combination of a rigorously compiled, openly documented corpus with a carefully adapted MDA framework makes it an important resource for corpus linguistics, applied linguistics, educational linguistics and English language teaching.”
Jack A. Hardy, Oxford College of Emory University, in English Language and Linguistics (2025), 1–5
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