Robust Knowledge of the World rather than Syntax: Using Literature in Second Language Learning and Teaching

Abstract

Using literature to help acquire a second language has often proven highly valuable, though its effectiveness not always universally agreed upon. The major aim of this paper is to critically review in a qualitative study the practical and theoretical tenets that foreground such use and encourage educators to recognize literature's role in enhancing the competence and performance of students of English as a second or a foreign language. The objective is not simply to recommend inclusion a few literary texts in the curriculum. Rather, there is a pressing need for a more comprehensive approach. It is a need for adoption of an "approach" not mere methods or isolated techniques. Such an approach should foreground the use of literary sources through dynamic interaction to gain the benefits of this reference-point approach. Other approaches often emphasise teaching "about" the target language, rather than facilitating its internalization in a manner that similar to first language acquisition. The proposed literature-based approach approach benefits from insights of neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics and even research in computer science and artificial intelligence. The use of the literature approach also benefits from world knowledge to support natural internalisation of language competence and performance enriched by the complexity of various texts, the diversity of themes, and cultural context. Narratives (short stories, novellas, novels, and storytelling) as well as drama and poetry help learners acquire the natural flow of the target language with its syntax, rich vocabulary, and idioms, while simultaneously contributing general cognitive development.