The focus on communication in TBLT often comes at the expense of form. This book enhances the task-based approach by connecting it to insights from (cognitive) grammar, which sees grammar as meaningful. It shows how grammar teaching can be integrated into a communicative lesson in a non-explicit way. Learners are involved in situations that they may also encounter outside their classrooms and are given communicative tasks they are to work on and solve. What teachers need to invest for preparing such lessons is their own creativity, as they have to come up with meaningful communicative situations which guide the learners into using a specific structure. The book discusses the didactic and linguistic theories involved and translates the theoretical perspectives into actual teaching practice, focusing on the grammatical phenomena tense (present tense, past tense, present perfect), aspect, modality, reported speech, conditionals, passive voice, prepositions, phrasal verbs, verb complementation, pronouns and articles.



Susanne Niemeier (*1960) studied English and French and received her PhD in linguistics in 1990 (supervisor Prof. Dr. René Dirven). In 2002, she was appointed as professor of Applied Linguistics and Foreign Language Teaching Methodology in the English Department of the University of Koblenz (Germany). Her main research interests include cognitive grammar, cultural linguistics, bilingualism, foreign language education and teacher education. She has published widely on these topics. From 2012 until 2014, she was elected as head of the German Cognitive Linguistics Association, and she has held positions on the executive boards of AILA (Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée) and GAL (German Applied Linguistics Association) as well as on various editorial boards.



0.Introduction



PART I: Didactic and linguistic theory



1.Grammar in the foreign language classroom

1.1Current situation

1.2A brief history of grammar teaching



2.Task-based language teaching

2.1 The development of task-based language teaching

2.2 The task cycle

2.2.1 Pre-task

2.2.2 Task

2.2.3 Language focus

2.3 The role of grammar in task-based language teaching



3.Cognitive grammar

3.1 The development of cognitive linguistics

3.1.1 Embodiment

3.1.2 Lexis-grammar continuum

3.1.3 Categorization

3.1.4 Usage-based perspective

3.1.5 Perspective on language acquisition

3.2 The cognitive grammar perspective on language

3.2.1 The centrality of meaning

3.2.2 Construal

3.3 Pedagogical applications of cognitive grammar

3.3.1 Advantages of applied cognitive grammar

3.3.2 Research on applied cognitive grammar



4.Cognitive grammar and task-based language teaching



PART II: Case Studies



5.Tense

5.1 A cognitive grammar perspective on tense

5.2 The present tense

5.2.1 Form

5.2.2 Meaning

5.2.3 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

5.2.4 The task cycle

5.2.5 Alternatives

5.3 The past tense

5.3.1 Form

5.3.2 Meaning

5.3.3 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

5.3.4 The task cycle

5.3.5 Alternatives

5.4 The present perfect

5.4.1 Form

5.4.2 Meaning

5.4.3 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

5.4.4 The task cycle

5.4.5 Alternatives



6.Aspect

6.1 Form

6.2 Meaning

6.2.1 Lexical aspect

6.2.2 Grammatical aspect

6.2.3 Non-prototypical uses of aspect

6.3 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

6.4 The task cycle

6.5 Alternatives



7.Modality

7.1 Form

7.2 Meaning

7.2.1 Root modality

7.2.2 Epistemic modality

7.3 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

7.4 Alternatives



8. Reported speech

8.1 Form

8.2 Meaning

8.2.1 Deixis

8.2.2 Temporal shifts

8.3 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

8.4 The task cycle

8.5 Alternatives





9. Conditionals

9.1 Form

9.2 Meaning

9.2.1 Mental Space Theory

9.2.2 Potentiality space

9.3 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

9.4 The task cycle

9.5Alternatives



10.The passive voice

10.1 Form

10.2 Meaning

10.2.1 Highlighting function

10.2.2 Research results

10.3 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

10.3 The task cycle

10.5Alternatives



11.Prepositions

11.1 Form

11.2 Meaning

11.2.1 Metaphorization

11.2.2 Proto-scenes

11.3 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

11.4 The task cycle

11.5 Alternatives



12.Phrasal verbs

12.1 Form

12.2 Meaning

12.2.1 Semantic networks of the particles

12.2.2 Analyses of the particles up, down, out and in

12.3 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

12.4 The task cycle

12.5 Alternatives



13.Verb complementation

13.1 Form

13.2 Meaning

13.2.1 Iconicity

13.2.2 The complementizers

13.3 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

13.4 The task cycle

13.5 Alternatives



14.Pronouns

14.1 Form

14.2 A cognitive-linguistic perspective on pronouns

14.3 Personal pronouns

14.3.1 Meaning

14.3.2 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

14.3.3 The task cycle

14.3.4 Alternatives

14.4 Possessive pronouns

14.4.1 Meaning

14.4.2 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

14.4.3 The task cycle

14.4.4 Alternatives



15.Articles

15.1 Form

15.2 Meaning

15.2.1 Definiteness vs. indefiniteness

15.2.2 Boundedness vs. unboundedness

15.3 Communicative situation and didactic reduction

15.4 The task cycle

15.5 Alternatives



16. Conclusion