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A Comparative View on English and Albanian Language Textbooks Irida Hoti Abstract
This paper highlights some important aspects of language learning at school. It attempts to present a comparative view on English textbook and Albanian language textbook. Firstly, is analyzed how far these texbooks are identical and different in terms of the structure of the text. Secondly, is shown the extension of grammatical knowledge, their integration with writing, reading and speaking, on second and sixth grade. The textbooks analyzed in this paper are applied in albanian schools in the second and sixth grade. Key Words: language, listening, reading, speaking, textbook, workbook, writing About the Author(s): Dr. Irida Hoti teaches in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Linguistics “Luigj Gurakuqi” University ,Shkoder, Albania. E-mail:
[email protected]
INTRODUCTION The paper attempts to present a comparative view on English textbook and albanian language textbook. Firstly, it will be shown how far these texbooks are identical and different in terms of the structure of the text and then the extension of grammatical knowledge, their integration with writing, reading and speaking. 1. The structure of the text Good times 2
Global Journal of English Language and Literature April 2014. Volume 2. Issue 2. Website: https://sites.google.com/site/globaljournalofell/
25 This text for elementary school, reflects tradicional history, games, roleplays, songs, activities and projects, all contextualised through the principal theme of each unit. This textbook applies the theory of communication and motivates the pupils to express themselves in English in the first lessons. The text contains 10 units: 7 are fables and tales (Elephant trunk, The fox and the grapes, The sword in the stone, The pipe of Hamelin, The ant and the grasshopper, The tortoise and the rabbit.) accompanied with: The language in action, Culture, Games. Grammatical knowledge don’t follow a chronologic or linear order. On “Writing” and “Speaking” section, there aren’t particular themes, but they are included into themes. Through some examples and the pictures exposed, the pupil has to make dialogues. A special place in each item is “Listening”, which is accompanied by singing what is listened. The text has some sections on pronunciation of consonants, vowels, groups of consonants, as: s, z, iz, s, ing, i, th etc. Access 2
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26 This English textbook is applied in Albanian schools as a foreign language textbook, on the sixth grade. It is divided in 10 modules by six units. Each unit has short fragments associated with comprehensible questions on the text and grammar application through exercises. Each module presents an important part of a grammar. There is not too knowledge grammar into the units, the whole grammar knowledge is in “Grammar reference section” (Evans, Dooley. 121-129). The two last units in each module are: Culture Corner and Curricular Cut. The structure of the text is based on Grammar-Vocabulary, Reading-Listening, SpeakingFunction, Writing, Culture - Curricular. At the end of each module there is a Self-check, which measures the knowledge assimilated by the pupil. Albanian language textbook 2
This is the first language textbook, which the pupils study after ABC book. The pupils befriend with Era, who accompanies them from page to page. The text is divided in six parts: Era at home, Era outside home, Grandma’s tales, Grandpa’s tales, Era’s dreams and Era in internet. In first four parts, the section “Reading” is followed by the features: Talking together, Knowing our language, Writing, meanwhile two last parts include reading themes,
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27 accompanied with the section: ‘Talking together’. The themes on “Writing” and “Speaking” are directly connected with reading parts. “Reading” is connected by subsections, as: ‘Understanding the text, ‘Asking about the text, ‘Read the part in roles’, ‘Working together’ etc. Reading fragments are accompanied by an explained vocabulary of the unknown words of the text. The knowledge is in a linear order and it is integrated properly. Albanian language textbook 6
This textbook for the sixth grade has two parts: I. Literature: (Reading-Speaking-Writing) II. Grammar knowledge: (Morphology – Orthography – Syntax – Lexicology – Word formation - Language Culture). The first part is structured on these main topics: 1. Our friends, 2/4. Poetry page, 3. Problems and true stories, 5. Trips and curiosities, 6. Media world. The fragments from Albanian and foreign literature, tales, fables, novels, poetries and also reading after class. The pedagogical construction of the text is based on: 1. Comprehension, 2. Interpretation, 3. Language.
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28 In the second part the grammar knowledge are explained and applied in exercises in 65 lessons. 10 lessons are for project works and free hours, which the teacher can decide together with the pupils what to use them for.
2. Grammar knowledge Good times 2 The text doesn’t have grammatical rules. These knowledge (which aren’t a lot) are given through exercises and games. The textbook consists of four sections for grammar knowledge: Think about the language; The presentation of the language; The language in action and Language review. Through these grammar knowledge are: Prepositions: in, on, under, which are retaken in use three times. (page.5, 38, 40, 44). Morphology: The noun, the pronouns this/that, he, she, they; the plural of the nouns; the adjective; The short form of the verb Be, third singular pronoun (is=’s); Present continuous tense, which is retaken in the next lessons (page 41, 55, 62) and in the page 44 in affirmative and negative form; the verb can/can’t, the present continuous tense affirmative, interrogative and negative, the auxiliary verb do. Syntax: Imperative sentence, affirmative and negative. Interrogative sentences and imperative, affirmative and negative. (page.54.) Access 2
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29 The text structured on 10 modules, presents in each module an important grammar as follows: Module I talks about the present Simple Tense (affirmative, interrogative and negative), Module II is about Present Continuous Tense, Module III- past simple of the verb to Be, Module IV is about Past Continuous, and the time expressions used to distinguish past simple from past continuous, Module V is about Future simple and Conditional type 1,2. It also explains the usage of Question Tag.
Module VI is about the comparison of the
adjectives, Module VII is about the Present Perfect tense, Module VIII is for the right usage of the articles a/ an and some/any/every + compound, Module IX is the usage of Can/can’t, must/mustn’t, have to, should and relatives. The last module is The Passive Voice. Albanian language textbook 2 In the first part there are knowledge from syntax and orthography, associated by appropriate rules for the pupil’s age, and accompanied by examples and applied exercises. Syntax: The text, the sentence, The sentence with which we show/tell, the sentences are different, the smallest sentence, adding and extracting sentences, Changing the place of group words, affirming and negating, Asking and answering (what, with what?, where?). Orthography: The capital letter and the full stop, The separation of the words in the end of the row, the full stop and the question mark, the exclamation mark and the full stop. In the second part: Morphology: The distinction of the noun, The distinction of the people and animal’s nouns, The distinction of the nouns of places, We distinguish the gender of the noun, We distinguish the number of the noun, We distinguish the numeral, adding words, creating new words, the distinction of the adjective, the distinction of the gender of adjective, the distinction of the number of the adjective,
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30 Orthography: Nouns ending with –ë. In the third part: Morphology: The distinction of the verb, I am, you are, I have, you have, I read, you read, I write, you write, I eat and drink, Before-now - after, yesterday I was…. tomorrow I will be, I had, I will have. Orthography: Adjectives ending with–ë, The distinction of the adjective, which begins with pa-, The distinction of adjectives with different meaning. In the fourth part we have knowledge from: Morphology: I read .. I will read, Plant… Planted. Verbs with different meaning, principal words and complementary words. Albanian language textbook 6 The second part of the Albanian language textbook is all about grammar knowledge full of grammatical exercises. These grammar knowledge on: Morphology – Orthography – Syntax – Lexicology – Word formation - Language Culture are also applied in pupil’s workbook. The grammar section starts with Language Culture, which tends to explain the communication tools Language as a communication tools etc. Then it continuous with: Word formation, Lexicology, Morphology (noun, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, etc.) and Syntax (subject, object,).
3. The comparative view From the comparison of the four language textbooks we notice that:
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31 Similarity
These textbooks deal with the noun, the adjective, the verb, the affirmative sentence.
They both retake grammatical knowledge from lesson to lesson to be assimilated better from the pupils.
‘Access’ and ‘Albanian language textbook 6’ both have interdisciplinary integration of Reading-Writing-Speaking-Grammar.
‘Access’ and ‘Albanian language textbook 6’ have a workbook for pupils to fulfill.
Differences
Albanian textbook has too many large reading fragments 76, English has less and shorter.
Albanian textbook present “Writing” and “Speaking” in special lessons, but connected with reading fragments, meanwhile English textbook has exercises of speaking and writing into reading fragment.
Albanian textbooks present grammar knowledge in linear and concentric order, and integrate the linguistic components: reading, speaking and writing. The grammar knowledge are given in an analytic manner, but the pupil can apply
them in different linguistic situations
in Albanian
language textbook and on pupil’s workbook. In English textbook, the linguistic knowledge are given through examples and dialogues, but without linguistic rules.
In English textbook there are estimated works, in which the pupil can value the new knowledge learned, meanwhile in Albanian there aren’t.
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English textbook associate reading with listening, meanwhile in Albanian textbook reading isn’t associated with listening.
In English textbooks there are cultural pages, in Albanian textbook there is language culture based on the rules on orthography, on the life of linguistics etc.
In English textbook is valuated the project work, in Albanian textbook rarely are.
In English textbook there are a lot of role plays, in Albanian textbook the role plays can be applied only inside the fragments.
The diversity of English textbook (games, roleplays, songs, activities and projects) able the pupils in other applied models, Albanian textbook misses the games and role plays, especially at the second grade.
In Albanian textbook, grammar knowledge are in a linear order, (nounadjective-verb etc), they are not redone in the next lessons as in English textbook.
English textbook has pantomimes, Albanian textbook doesn’t.
‘Access’ has grammar section and a wordlist for each module, ‘Albanian language textbook’ doesn’t because the grammar knowledge are given in the second part of the text.
In Access, in each module there is a unit based on dialogues, Albanian textbook has dialogues only into the reading fragments, but not dialogues to learn a grammatical clue or to learn new words.
The Vocabulary at Albanian textbook is at the end of each reading fragment not selected at the end of the text.
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In Access is studied first the verb-tenses of the verb -noun, then the adjective. In Albanian textbook is studied first: the noun-the adjective then the verb.
English textbook priorities The English textbook ‘Access’, at the end of the last module has reviews of knowledge. These are very important because they really concentrate and systematize the knowledge of the pupil taken during the whole level: - An Optional Listening Practice. (Evans, Dooley. 114-115) - An Optional Vocabulary Practice. (Evans, Dooley. 116-120) - A Grammar reference section. (Evans, Dooley. 121-129) - A Wordlist, with all the words, in modules. (Evans, Dooley. 130-139) - A Table of Irregular Verbs (Present-Past Simple-past Participle) We think that is a good model for every language textbook, even for Albanian language textbook. 4. Conclusion This study has analyzed four textbooks (English and Albanian- second and sixth grade), based on their structure and on extension of grammar knowledge. Thus we can conclude that Good times 2/Access and Albanian language textbook 2/ Albanian language textbook 6, are well structured (each in its point of view) but differences as cited above make us think that the pupils at elementary school need exercises, which vivify the language, not too much grammar knowledge. This is much more evident in the English textbook than in Albanian textbooks, maybe because of being a mother tongue textbook. Meanwhile English textbooks
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34 (in our schools as a foreign language textbook) are well organized full of diversity in reading writing or speaking. This study highlights some important aspects of language learning at school. References Evans, Virginia. Dooley Jenny. Access 2. Student’s book, Express Publishing, Newbury, 2013 Evans, Virginia. Dooley Jenny. Access Workbook 2, Express Publishing. Newbury, 2013. Hoti, I. Gjuhësia e zbatuar përmes kurrikulës së gjuhës shqipe. Shtëpia Botuese “Progresi”. Shkodër, 2013. Hoti, I. “Fletoret e punë së gjuhës shqipe- Vlera shkencore dhe didaktike” in Buletin shkencor. Seria e shkencave didaktike. VitiXXXX i botimit., nr. 60, Shkodër, 2010. Good times 2, Selt Publishing, Richmond, 2001. Petro, Rita. Gjokutaj, Mimoza. Gjuha shqipe 2, Botimet shkollore Albas, Tiranë, 2003. Petro, Rita. Pepivani, Natasha. Çerpja, Adelina. Gjuha shqipe 6, Botimet Albas, Tiranë, 2013 Petro, Rita. Pepivani, Natasha. Çerpja, Adelina. Fletore pune Gjuha shqipe 6, Botimet Albas, Tiranë, 2013
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