Metasprachliche Reflexion, Diglossie und Fremdsprachenlernen

Abstract

In this contribution the focus is on three observations concerning the role of metalinguistic awareness in language classrooms in the Middle East, which are set in a communicative context shaped by diglossia and multilingualism. The analysis of data collected between 1998 and 2001 shows how learners reflect on the problem of language and identity, the intercultural aspects of register in writing, and the intricacies of English orthography. The findings are discussed in the light of recent theories of cognition with a focus on the role of attention in Bialystok‘s framework of analysis and control. It is argued that the examples demonstrate how certain aspects of language attract the attention of language learners at a specific stage of the learning process and then become an integral part of that process. The suggestion is made that metalinguistic awareness is relevant in L2 literacy acquisition and that, therefore, there is a point in teaching aspects of grammar related to the use of written language.