Longman Dictionary of

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appropriate word method
Language teaching is sometimes discussed in terms of three related
aspects: approach, METHOD, and technique.
Different theories about the nature of language and how languages are
learned (the approach) imply different ways of teaching language (the
method), and different methods make use of different kinds of classroom
activity (the technique).
Examples of different approaches are the aural–oral approach (see AUDIO-
LINGUAL METHOD), the COGNITIVE CODE APPROACH, the COMMUNICATIVE
APPROACH, etc. Examples of different methods which are based on a particular
approach are the AUDIOLINGUAL METHOD, the DIRECT METHOD, etc.
Examples of techniques used in particular methods are DRILLS, DIALOGUES,
ROLE-PLAYS, sentence completion, etc.
appropriate word method n
see CLOZE TEST
appropriateness n appropriate adj
the extent to which a use of language matches the linguistic and sociolinguistic
expectations and practices of native speakers of the language.
When producing an utterance, a speaker needs to know that it is grammatical,
and also that it is suitable (appropriate) for the particular situation.
For example:
Give me a glass of water!
is grammatical, but it would not be appropriate if the speaker wanted
to be polite. A request such as:
May I have a glass of water, please?
would be more appropriate. see also GRAMMATICAL 1,2 , CORRECT, COM-
MUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
appropriation n
in second language learning, the processes by which language learners
make the characteristics of one language and culture their own by adapting
it to their own needs and interests. For example the ways in which
speakers of Singapore and Malaysian English have made this variety of
English distinctive and unique through incorporating features from
Chinese, as with the use of a final sentence particle “lah” in informal
speech, as in “ My turn to pay for lunch today lah!”.
approximant n
a sound produced by the approach of one articulator towards another but
without the vocal tract being narrowed so much that a turbulent
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