Task-Based Language Teaching With a Semantic-Centred Pedagogic Grammar

Oct 15, 2026

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) is used to create authentic opportunities for second and foreign language development, yet traditional grammar instruction often fails to supply the functional support learners need for accurate and fluent L2 output. This study replaces conventional grammar explanations with a semantic meaning-order approach to pedagogical grammar (MAP grammar). Combining TBLT and MAP, researchers evaluate 127 learners’ written work and find separate gains in syntactic complexity, while the combination improves accuracy and fluency through attention to functional choice sequences that reduce metalinguistic explanation load.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

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Introduction

Literature Review

Case Study and Findings (overview)

Task-Based Language Teaching With a Semantic-Centred Pedagogic Grammar James W. Gray Fukui University Ryan W. Smithers Otani University Abstract Task-based language teaching (TBLT) is well known for providing authentic opportunities for second and foreign language (L2) skill development. However, for many learners the use of traditional grammar within TBLT lacks the functional support necessary to create accurate and fluent L2 output. The current study replaced traditional grammar explanations with a semantic meaning-order approach to pedagogical grammar (MAP or MAP grammar) as a means to bridge the language in tasks to their function and thereby strengthen form-tomeaning understanding. The study combined TBLT and MAP grammar to look for changes in the complexity, accuracy, and fluency of 127 L2 learners’writings. The results showed TBLT and MAP separately increased syntactic complexity, whereas the combination of the two provided gains in accuracy and fluency. This was achieved by systematically directing learners’ attention to a sequence of functional choices thereby simplifying necessary metalinguistic explanations. Résumé L’enseignement des langues basé sur les tâches est bien connu pour fournir des occasions authentiques d’apprentissage de la langue seconde ou étrangère (L2) . Néanmoins, pour plusieurs apprenants, l’usage de la grammaire traditionnelle dans l’approche basée sur lestâches ne fournit pas le soutien fonctionnel nécessaire à une production préciselinguistiquement et fluide. La présente étude a remplacé les explications de grammaire traditionnelles par une approche de la sémantique instructionnelle servant de pont entre le langage dans les tâches et leur fonction, ce qui renforce la compréhension des liens entre la forme et le sens. Cette étude a combiné l’approche d’apprentissage des langues basé sur lestâches et l’approche de la sémantique instructionnelle pour examiner la complexité, laprécision linguistique et la fluidité dans les productions écrites de 127 apprenants de L2 . Les résultats ont démontré que l’apprentissage des langues basé sur les tâches et que lasémantique instructionnelle augmentaient séparément la complexité syntaxique, tandis que la combinaison des deux approches a contribué à l’amélioration de la précision linguistique et de la fluidité. Ceci a été atteint en dirigeant l’attention des apprenants vers une séquencede choix fonctionnels simplifiant ainsi les explications métalinguistiques nécessaires. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics: 22, 2 (2019) : 88-108 CJAL * RCLA Gray & Smithers 89 Task-Based Language Teaching With a Semantic-Centred Pedagogic Grammar Introduction Task-based language learning is generally a simultaneous process of learning two separate knowledge domains. The first involves learning the language required to complete the task, while the second involves learning the language required to speak about language—the metalanguage. In essence, the language required to complete tasks in taskbased language teaching (TBLT) is task-specific, with each task bound to contexts. Tasks, consequently, not only offer new second and foreign language (L2) learning opportunities and choices, but they can also help learners more quickly and accurately understand how lexicogrammatical choices in a new task operate (Ellis, 2012) . Furthermore, learning how to complete tasks necessitates learning the language particular to each and every context and, possibly, metalinguistic expressions. Within this second knowledge domain, metalinguistic explanations have been shown to be an effective aid for learners in the completion of tasks. Explicit talk about the language is often referred to as focus on form (FonF) . Second language acquisition (SLA) research has shown how FonF is effective at promoting more accurate use ofthe L2 (Spada & Tomita, 2010), but sometimes less so at demonstrating communicative control in fluent use (Shintani, 2013) . Metalinguistic explan

FAQs

What problem does the paper identify with traditional grammar in TBLT?

Traditional grammar explanations in TBLT may not provide sufficient functional support for learners to produce accurate and fluent L2 output.

What is MAP grammar, and how is it used in the study?

MAP grammar is a semantic meaning-order approach that systematizes metalinguistic process explanations on a semantic basis within each task, bridging language forms to task functions.

What overall effects were found when combining TBLT with MAP grammar?

The combination yielded improvements in accuracy and fluency, while TBLT and MAP used separately increased syntactic complexity.

Oct 15, 2026

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