Professor Henry Widdowson's collection of papers covers a range of theoretical and practical aspects of communicative language teaching.

In recent years there has been growing recognition of Professor Widdowson's major contribution to the study of communicative language teaching. This collection of papers, published together for the first time, shows the development of Widdowson's thinking. The papers, which range from theoretical discussion to classroom practice, are not intended to be prescriptive, nor do they try to provide conclusive arguments. Rather they invite the reader to explore ideas, to consider the practical implications of certain theoretical developments, and to examine his own assumptions more closely.

This volume bridges the gap between the theoretical and practical aspects of communicative language teaching, and Professor Widdowson's clear and original treatment of the subject will appeal to both teachers and applied linguists.

Also available online: Explorations in Applied Linguistics 2.

Chapter 01: The teaching of rhetoric to students of science and technology (plus contents/introduction) (PDF, 88 KB)

Chapter 02: An approach to the teaching of scientific English discourse (PDF, 73 KB)

Chapter 03: EST in theory and practice (PDF, 58 KB)

Chapter 04: The description of scientific language (PDF, 57 KB)

Chapter 05: Two types of communication exercise (PDF, 48 KB)

Chapter 06: Gradual approximation (PDF, 155 KB)

Chapter 07: Directions in the teaching of discourse (PDF, 57 KB)

Chapter 08: The deep structure of discourse and the use of translation (PDF, 54 KB)

Chapter 09: Approaches to discourse (PDF, 112 KB)

Chapter 10: Rules and procedures in discourse analysis (PDF, 44 KB)

Chapter 11: Interpretative procedures and the importance of poetry (PDF, 50 KB)

Chapter 12: The authenticity of language data (PDF, 39 KB)

Chapter 13: The process and purpose of reading (PDF, 40 KB)

Chapter 14: The simplification of use (PDF, 37 KB)

Chapter 15: The significance of simplification (PDF, 43 KB)

Chapter 16: Pidgin and babu (PDF, 49 KB)

Chapter 17: Linguistic insights and language teaching principles (PDF, 80 KB)
Chapter 18: The partiality and relevance of linguistic descriptions (PDF, 51 KB)

Chapter 19: Notional syllabuses (PDF, 28 KB)

Chapter 20: The communicative approach and its application (plus bibliography) (PDF, 99 KB)