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.