26 2009 Number 3 | E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m Yao Nan and Zuo Mingfang Using VOA Special English To Improve Advanced English Learners

Productive Use of High Frequency Words In China many non-English majors, who often score high on English exams that emphasize reading comprehension and grammar, have difficulty finding the English words they need to express their ideas in speaking and writing. As university teachers of English for masters degree candidates in science, we have long witnessed our students struggling to put their ideas into words. Their spoken and written production is often marked by incomprehensible sentences with an abundance of errors caused by wrong word choices. Their frustration is compounded by the fact that many common words they are familiar with do not come to mind when they are speaking and writing. This problem is not unusual, and it is often difficult for students to use their receptive reading and listening vocabulary for the productive skills of speaking and writing (Nation 2001b). Although students do display individual differences when it comes to vocabulary acquisition and use, they generally find it a great challenge to sufficiently master the spelling, pronunciation, and comprehension of words in their second language. This article discusses a method to deal with this obstacle to language production and illustrates how to use the Voice of America (VOA) Special English program to increase advanced students vocabulary and improve their spoken and written skills. Productive and receptive skills Nation (1990) describes word knowledge in terms of receptive and productive knowledge, which together comprise the four language skills. Receptive knowledge is recognizing and understanding the words when listening to a conversation or reading a text, and productive knowledge is using words fluently and appropriately when speaking and writing. The receptive and productive skills relate 27 E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m | N u m b e r 3 2 0 0 9 to each other in important ways and can also be categorized as written skills (reading and writing) and oral skills (speaking and listening) (Nation 2001b). For example, a student cannot write without reading and cannot hold a meaningful conversation without listening. This interrelationship between productive and receptive skills makes it crucial to adopt a four-skill approach to vocabulary teaching. The receptive skills, and especially reading, are known to be effective ways to acquire vocabulary, but those same words do not easily come to mind when the learner is speaking or writing (Nation 2001b). Therefore, in addition to general strategies for vocabulary acquisition, there is a pressing need for methods that will bring new and familiar words into productive use. Learning high frequency vocabulary One useful strategy in learning vocabulary is to master a large number of high frequency words those words that appear most often in written and spoken texts and are therefore the most useful ones to learn. According to Nation and Newton (1997), the most frequent 2,000 words in English, with their inflected forms, account for at least 85% of the words on any page of any book no matter what the subject matter (238), and this percentage can be even higher for spoken language of comparable length. It is therefore important to expose students to a large amount of four-skill practice that contains a large percentage of high frequency words. According to Nation and Waring (1997), educated adult native speakers of English have a vocabulary of about 20,000 word families, and they define a word family as a base word, its inflected forms and a small number of reasonably regular derived forms (8). However, second language learners of English can meet their basic needs with fewer words; based on word frequency research, Nation and Waring (1997) suggest that learners need a receptive vocabulary of 3,000 to 5,000 word families and a productive vocabulary of 2,000 to 3,000 word families to function well in their daily use of English. Vocabulary knowledge cannot be gained from one single encounter with a word, even if this encounter involves a lot of direct teaching efforts (Nation 2001b). Vocabulary knowledge, as much for

the second language as for the first language learner, will grow gradually only through successive encounters with the word in various contexts and through different activities while the individual is exposed to large amounts of comprehensible input (Nagy 1997, 74). Input is comprehensible when it includes a large amount of familiar vocabulary that is found in appropriate listening exercises and texts used for extensive reading (Nation 2001a). However, not every word in a language is equally useful, and teachers should make sure that materials contain the high frequency words that appear with great regularity in literature, conversations, and textbooks. Knowledge of high frequency words makes texts more comprehensible, and programs that devote too much time on low frequency words may be holding their students back from understanding and producing English. According to Nation (2001a, 23), learners should learn low frequency words gradually after they know the high frequency words, and teachers should not spend valuable class time on low frequency words because there are too many of them and the time spent on them is not repaid by opportunities to meet and use them. When necessary, four strategies for learning low frequency words include: (1) guessing the words from context, (2) studying words and their translations on small cards, (3) analyzing the parts of words (roots, prefixes, and suffixes), and (4) using a dictionary to look up meanings (Nation 2001a). Collocations In addition to single words, there are words that habitually appear together in English. Because native speakers use such expressions all the time, it is important for a second language learner to achieve some mastery over them. Collocations are groups of words that appear together to convey meaning, such as crystal clear, or green with envy. Grouping differently might be grammatical, but it would create awkward sentences: That idea is ice clear to me, or She was red with envy. Every language is arbitrary in terms of how it puts words together, and collocational patterns are unpredictable (Nation 2001b). Therefore, learners must retain important collocations of the target language in their memory. The successful storage and retrieval of plenty of 28 2 0 0 9 N u m b e r 2 | E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m common collocations is essential for the production of natural English. A vocabulary development framework According to Nation (2001a, 23), each high frequency word deserves time and effort from learners and should be met repeatedly in listening, speaking, reading and writing, deliberately studied, and met in easy texts with some pressure to process them faster than usual. A well-balanced vocabulary development program incorporates equal opportunities from the following four strands: 1. Meaning-focused input. A wide exposure to familiar vocabulary is essential, and it is achieved through spoken input and extensive reading (Nation 2001a). Extensive reading is defined as one graded reader at an appropriate level (where 95%98% of the words are already known) every one or two weeks and reading a total of about 20 per year (Nation 2001a, 23). 2. Meaning-focused output. Learners also require speaking and writing activities that focus on negotiating the meaning of unfamiliar words. Clarifications, repetitions, and explanations of words help learners to enlarge and retain their productive vocabulary. Nation (2001b) suggests retelling a story, reporting on an article, and role play because these oral activities present familiar words in new contexts. 3. Language-focused learning. Research shows that students profit from directly studying word parts, collocations, and the meaning, pronunciation, and spelling of vocabulary (Nation 2001a). These activities also help students become independent learners. 4. Fluency development. Students benefit from a variety of four-skill activities that involve high frequency words. In fluency-centered activities, the learners know all the words used, pay more attention to communicating ideas, and perform tasks during a limited time. Nation (2001a, 24) suggests activities such as extensive reading using easy graded readers, ten-minute writing (where learners write as much as they can in ten minutes), listening to the same text several times and the 4/3/2 activity in which students switch among three partners and tell the same story in decreasing amounts of time (i.e., four, three, and two minutes). Problems with advanced learners

In our experience, even if students demonstrate knowledge of high frequency vocabulary in certain contexts, an instructional framework like the one recommended by Nation is very important. Having studied English for at least eight years, our students know about 6,500 target words listed by the Chinese Ministry of Education (2004) as a college undergraduate requirement. About 2,533 of those words are from Nations (2001a) academic word list and most frequently used first 1,000 and second 1,000 word lists. However, the students are still unable to express themselves effectively in speaking and writing. They are the type of advanced learners who understand most of what they hear and read in the language class, although they still need help with material intended for native speakers of English (Allen 1983, 45). Their poor speaking and writing indicate that they need additional vocabulary. Several factors underlie these advanced learners inability to use high frequency words in productive exercises, including the following: Students have a tendency to favor lower frequency words as the way to improve their productive skills. Inevitably, such attitudes lead to a lot of errors. They assume that high frequency words require little effort or indicate poor English proficiency. Students are exposed to a limited amount of language input. Their main source is the English textbook, whose content is often far removed from real life. The exam-oriented education system also drives them to read books that focus on vocabulary recognition, grammar, and reading comprehension. Their listening comprehension exercises are also limited. Students are exposed to a limited amount of language output. Due to the exam-oriented education system, the students receive little practice in the productive use of English, doing mainly reading and listening, with little speaking and writing.29 E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m | N u m b e r 2 2 0 0 9 The learners have a weak sense of collocation. Vocabulary learning to them means the rote learning of Chinese definitions of decontextualized lists of English words. Speaking and writing in English becomes a matter of word-for-word translation from Chinese into English with little attention to the collocational patterns of English. Consequently, collocations are simply not available for productive use no matter how easy they appear to be when students read or hear them. Not surprisingly, students end up producing a lot of strange collocations such as eat the finger when they mean suck the finger, and close the light when they mean turn off the light (here the Chinese equivalent for the verb close is the same word for turn off). Because of their frequent failure to find the needed words for speaking and writing, many learners regard learning English as a formidable task. They do not know which direction to take. Some students, with no intention of going abroad at all, state that their next objective is to score high on the TOEFL or GRE to obtain a document testifying to their English proficiency, even though in many cases they are not ready for these tests. Many more students have even given up on efforts to improve their English. They are, therefore, in need of guidance. Advantages of the VOA Special English program The VOA Special English program offers teachers and students the opportunity to develop their high frequency vocabulary in all four skills, with a special emphasis on making that vocabulary available for speaking and writing. The Special English program uses a basic vocabulary of 1,500 English words to deliver interesting written and audio reports on news, music, language, culture, and other topics. Most of the vocabulary consists of high frequency words, although some words are more difficult when reports deal with topics like medicine and science. The VOA Special English program has gained great popularity with English learners around the world, especially with beginners. But we have learned that the speaking and writing skills of advanced learners can also derive considerable benefits from this program. Some advantages of the Special English program include: It is easily accessible on the Internet at www.voanews.com/specialenglish. This saves learners much time and effort in finding appropriate English learning materials. In addition, some websites that serve English learners in China offer a free downloading service of the Special English program that is updated daily. The Special English program exposes learners to a large amount of comprehensible input using high frequency words. The repeated use of these words and their collocations in different contexts

makes it easier for students to learn essential vocabulary. Special English also offers instructional opportunities for extensive speaking and writing. The Special English program arouses the learners enthusiasm for English learning with its interesting, informative, and detailed reports. It exposes learners to vocabulary used to express current issues that are widely discussed around the world and thus provides learners with what they actually need in terms of vocabulary for authentic communication, which is in stark contrast to the topics in their textbooks. Learners are highly motivated to learn from such relevant materials expressed by many words and expressions that meet their communicative needs. When the material is interesting, students are more likely to become engaged in the task and learn the content. The use of interesting and relevant topics is especially critical for speaking and writing tasks (Nation 2001b). These advantages led us to teach the following course to improve our students productive use of high frequency English words. A vocabulary course using VOA Special English The course is based on two student-centered activities that employ reports from VOA Special English. For the first two months we train students on how to use the Special Eng30 2 0 0 9 N u m b e r 2 | E n g l i s h T e a c h i n g F o r u m lish program to its full potential; then students present reports they have developed on their own. The course begins with two 90-minute class sessions that introduce students to the correct approach to vocabulary learning, collocations, and the VOA Special English program. Session 1 The first session presents basic theoretical knowledge concerning word learning. This entails teaching students about vocabulary use in receptive and productive contexts and illustrating how the mastery of a large number of high frequency words in receptive activities can help them dramatically improve their production of fluent and accurate English. It is one thing to be able to understand a word, whether in a written or oral context, but quite another to be able to use that word fluently to express oneself. More speaking and writing activities, with proper attention to high frequency vocabulary items, are necessary to improve the students ability to use the words fluently. Equally important, students realize that learning involves much more than memorizing the Chinese definition of a word. This introduction encourages them and helps them realize that vocabulary acquisition is not beyond their reach. The first session also orients students to the VOA Special English program and shows them why it is an excellent source to increase both their receptive and productive vocabulary. This introduction is essential to arouse students enthusiasm and maximize the programs instructional value. Session 2 Session 2 is specifically devoted to raising the students awareness of collocations through the selection of Special English reports that contain (1) interesting topics related to textbook material and (2) the most useful vocabulary and collocations. We use common collocations to point out how the individual words relate to each other to create a special meaning. We also indicate the pitfalls caused by word-for-word translations of English collocations into Chinese. Classroom vocabulary activities After the first two sessions, the teacher selects reports for vocabulary activities. For example, when the textbook chapter covered health problems, we chose the Special English report Freshman Fifteen (Gollust, Moss, and Weaver 2005). This report deals with a relevant health problem that troubles college students worldwide and has many useful collocations such as: put on weight, poor diet, and foods high in fat and sugar. The students also find reports that correspond to a wide variety of topics from their textbooks. The same health-related textbook chapter led them to choose reports about a variety of health concerns such as SARS, AIDS, and Bird Flu. The type of classroom activity that occurs during the first two months is described below. 1. Students listen to a selected Special English report three times without the script. They are required to take notes of key words and collocations while listening. 2. Students then work in pairs using the words and collocations from the report to discuss the topic.

3. Students listen to the report two more times with the script projected onto a screen; they focus on problematic vocabulary and concepts. 4. Students do oral exercises in pairs or groups without the script, such as asking and answering questions and translating collocations to make sure they can use the words and collocations correctly. 5. Finally, students do the fluency-oriented 4/3/2 activity. As an alternative, they can write as much as possible about the report for fifteen minutes. Homework The students have to study at least one Special English report after class every other day. After reading the reports and listening to the corresponding audio files, they use the words and collocations to practice retelling the main ideas of the reports, either orally or in writing. Retelling the reports orally to oneself is encouraged when no partners or family members are available. Moreover, students must write summaries of their reports in a notebook to prepare for their later presentations. If time allows, they can write longer passages that include their impressions or opinions. Vocabulary notebook Throughout the course students are instructed to keep a pocket-size notebook 31 E n g l i s h T e a c h i n g F o r u m | N u m b e r 2 2 0 0 9 to collect both new and familiar words, collocations, and sentences they encounter in the Special English reports or from other sources. Jotting down even those familiar words and collocations that they recognize helps them retrieve familiar vocabulary when speaking and writing. They are encouraged to ask themselves these questions: Can I use this word/collocation at will when it is needed to express my ideas? If not, do I need to make it a part of my productive vocabulary? Students are encouraged to carry their vocabulary notebooks with them most of the time for frequent addition, review, and recycling of the entries. When they have time, they can copy those entries into three-ring binders, which are classified into sections like Food, Family, Health, and Music. Anything not belonging to a particular category goes into a Miscellaneous section. These binders help students organize, memorize, and locate the entries. Grading and testing Grading and testing are opportunities to motivate students to value the activities and work harder. We regularly collect and grade their writing and vocabulary notebooks and binders to give immediate feedback about problems and progress and to ensure that students are complying with assignments. Moreover, during class time, while students are working in pairs or groups, we take some time to give an oral test on a one-to-one basis to ensure they have reviewed and recycled the entries recorded in their notebooks and binders. We give the Chinese translation of the recorded words and collocations and students tell us what they are in English. Alternatively, we prompt students to produce the target words and collocations by asking questions. Sometimes students are instructed to give short talks about topics we pick from their writing notebooks. Student presentations After two months students begin giving their oral presentations from the Special English reports they studied for homework. Students take turns giving presentations, either to the whole class or to members of their small groups of four members. Speakers who present to the whole class are usually informed one week in advance so that they have time to prepare. Students must do some additional research about their topic so they are prepared to answer challenging questions from the class. The presentations include the following three steps: 1. The speakers write down the key words and collocations they find helpful on the blackboard (for whole class presentations) or on pieces of paper (for small group presentations). 2. The speakers give their oral presentations about the Special English reports. 3. The rest of the students ask the presenters questions about anything they find unclear or interesting. When students present in small groups, we walk around the classroom to participate in their discussions and give any help that may be needed. After each class presentation, the teacher comments on the

speakers performance, points out obvious errors, and makes suggestions to help improve the students presentation skills. Conclusion In vocabulary learning, the focus should be not just on expanding learners vocabulary but also on helping them gain greater familiarity with high frequency words and collocations. And this should be as much the case with advanced learners as with beginners and intermediate learners. Efforts should be taken to enable students to progress gradually from receptive knowledge to productive knowledge and from consciously knowing words to subconsciously and automatically using them. After two months of using the VOA Special English reports as a means to focus on high frequency words and collocations, our students began to see progress in their speaking and writing. The progress in turn built up their confidence and increased their engagement with these activities; moreover, the learning habits they acquired now help them become more independent, responsible, and confident language learners who will continue to pursue better proficiency in English beyond the course. References Allen, V. F. 1983. Techniques in teaching vocabulary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chinese Ministry of Education. 2004. College English curriculum requirements (for trial implementation). Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press. Continued on page 3737 E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m | N u m b e r 3 2 0 0 9 Using VOA Special English (continued from page 31) Gollust, S., J. Moss, and C. Weaver. 2005. Freshman 15 defined, Ray Charles last album, and Black history month. Voice of America Special English: American Mosaic, January 28. www.voanews.com/specialenglish/archive/2005-01/a-2005-01-28-1-1.cfm. Nagy, W. 1997. On the role of context in first- and second-language vocabulary learning. In Vocabulary: Description, acquisition and pedagogy, ed. N. Schmitt and M. McCarthy, 6483. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Nation, I. S. P. 1990. Teaching and learning vocabulary. Boston: Heinle and Heinle. 2001a. How good is your vocabulary program? ESL Magazine 4 (3): 2224. www.elthillside.com/up/files/article6.doc. 2001b. Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Nation, P., and J. Newton. 1997. Teaching vocabulary. In Second language vocabulary acquisition, ed. J. Coady and T. Huckin, 23854. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Nation, P., and R. Waring. 1997. Vocabulary size, text coverage and word lists. In Vocabulary: Description, acquisition and pedagogy, ed. N. Schmitt and M. McCarthy, 619. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Yao Nan, a lecturer with a Masters degree in applied linguistics from the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, teaches English at the South China University of Technology. Zuo Mingfang, an associate professor of English at South China University of Technology, has a Masters degree in teaching English as a Foreign Language from the University of Reading, Britain.

Hassan Bouzidi

Between the ESP Classroom and the Workplace: Bridging the Gap

ince the launch of far-reaching higher education reforms several years

ago, many institutions across Morocco have begun revamping their English for Special Purposes (ESP) programs to bring them in line with the needs of local employers. These reforms recognize the correlation between what students learn in class and success in their future professions. Therefore, a main objective of English departments is to ensure that ESP courses impart the key communicative skills that are most useful to graduates in their chosen careers. An important component of an effective ESP course is a textbook that contains job-related English lessons. However, there often is a mismatch between the content of ESP textbooks and actual workplace language demands. To help teachers recognize and rectify the mismatch, this article describes a three-step method to (1) collect data about the needs of employees and employers, (2) use that data to evaluate classroom material in this case an ESP textbook for English language learners who work in the local Moroccan hospitality industry, and (3) supplement the ESP textbook to make it more relevant to the employment setting.

The importance of English for the hospitality industry French is Moroccos unofficial second language, and it plays an important role in commerce and economics. However, tourism industry professionals are aware of the status of English as an international language and are capitalizing on that trend. The hospitality industry has a special need for employees who can communicate effectively with the English-speaking clientele that visit their hotels and resorts and use services and activities they offer, including restaurants, conferences, and guided tours. From the tourism agent at the airport to the hotel receptionist at the front desk and the secretary in the marketing department, English proficiency is required to carry out business. In addition, large hotels require qualified translations of promotional material and interpretations of business meetings. Preparing students for careers 10 2 0 0 9 N u m b e r 3 | E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m 11 E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m |
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in the hospitality industry and improving the language skills of current employees requires an ESP textbook that teachers can use to teach particular language skills and forms of communication. Choosing an ESP textbook or determining the suitability of one already in use is accomplished by a needs analysis that documents the type of workplace English that employers and employees require by collecting data through interviews, questionnaires, and on-site observations.
Step 1: Survey of employers and employees

A workplace needs analysis describes the entire context in which English is used, including the skills, settings, topics, and relevant language functions. Official statistics about languages and language use in the workplace and other environments are not always readily available, especially in developing countries where such concerns are still considered a luxury. Where statistics do exist, the information is often too superficial to be of any use for instructors or students.

Therefore, to conduct a language needs analysis for the hospitality industry, I began collecting data by interviewing employers and surveying and observing employees. The resulting information created a framework by which to evaluate the ESP textbook and supplement it, if necessary, for the benefit of all the stakeholders involved: students, teachers, employees, and employers. Results of interviews with employers To gather data from the employers about their English language needs, I used a semistructured interview format that asked a predetermined set of questions with follow-ups (see Appendix 1 for interview format). A sample of 44 hospitality industry personnel managers were interviewed. They came from three main leisure and tourism subsectors in the Greater Agadir area: hotels (24), travel agencies (14), and Agadir International Airport (6). The interviews revealed that most of the managers do not consider learning another language a priority for themselves, although they do consider learning a foreign language as indispensable for their employees. Following are some of the most important conclusions from the interviews: Many managers prefer hiring applicants with foreign language skills to better serve the growing influx of travelers from abroad. Nearly all personnel managers require knowledge of French, followed by English. Most employers (87%) said English skills would be a plus in applying for a job and would earn them a higher starting salary.
Receptionists, telephone operators, staff at information desks, and administrators who know some English provide better service to guests and enhance their organizations performance. Most employees with English skills are offered a job in the reception area. Of the managers interviewed, 30% would consider employing graduates with English language proficiency at secretarial levels.

The largest need is for receptionists, telephone operators, and tour guides to communicate in English with guests at hotels and airports. Communicative tasks include answering phone calls, taking reservations, and leading excursions. A lesser priority is for secretaries and other staff to read and translate business correspondence and promotional materials and to interpret at business meetings.

On occasion, outside English translators are brought in to translate tourism information, correspondence with tour operators abroad, and technical manuals for new equipment, and outside interpreters are used for occasional meetings with non-French-speaking foreign business partners.

No managers reported an in-house language training program at their organization. They prefer to contact outside language schools or institutes whenever they need new employees. The majority of managers (73%) stated that they encourage their staff to enroll in outside ESP courses. (This underscores the importance of offering quality ESP courses at the university level.)12 2 0 0 9 N u m b e r 3 | E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m

Results of employee questionnaire

For purposes of the present study, I administered a questionnaire to a sample of 101 employees in the hospitality industry in the Greater Agadir area. (See Appendix 2 for the questionnaire.) These employees came from three main travel and tourism subsectors: hotels (66), travel agencies (19), and Agadir International Airport (16). The employees surveyed indicated that they used their English language skills quite often and for a wide variety of purposes. The employees were surveyed about (1) their position/duties within the organization, (2) their use of English on the job, (3) their level of English, (4) the areas where they need improvement, and (5) their future language needs. Following are the most important results from the questionnaire:

Employees stated that their French language skills were much better than their English skills. Almost all of the employees view English as either necessary or very important for carrying out their jobs.
The employees in the hospitality industry who most often use English are (1) personnel in the hotel reception area, (2) excursion tour guides, and (3) ground hosts/hostesses at airports.
Some of the most important hospitality industry work settings where students find employment include (1) hotels and motels (receptionist, restaurant worker, valet, concierge, advertising manager, aerobics instructor, lifeguard, music show leader, theme park attendant); (2) travel agencies (secretary, tour leader, museum guide); (3) airports and airlines (arrival area and terminal attendants, airline cabin crews).

The most important uses of English occur in face-to-face conversations, followed by telephone calls. Most reception area employees report that English conversational and rhetorical skills are essential to create a pleasant atmosphere when they greet and converse with clientele. Speaking and listening skills are far more important than reading and writing skills in the hospitality industry. However, most employees said they were better at reading and listening to English than at speaking and writing it. Translating and interpreting skills are used but are not as important. Employee language proficiency
Questionnaire and observation data indicate that, in general, employees who use English as part of their daily routine possess an intermediate level of spoken English language proficiency and need improvement. Some employees also need to improve their English writing skills. Overall, the employees surveyed indicated the following problems:

Employees cannot express themselves coherently or fluently in spoken English. Employees cannot understand native English that is spoken at a normal speed. Employees have an inability to recognize and express the specialized terminology of the hospitality industry.
Employees confuse formal and informal language styles. For example, an employee might say, Drop your bags. Ill take em to your room to a guest who has just checked in rather than the more appropriate, May I help you with your bags?

Employees are unfamiliar with important language topics and functions needed for effective communication with English-speaking visitors. Table 1 identifies some of the specific language topics and functions that are most important for hospitality industry employees.
Step 2: Evaluating the ESP textbook

After data on the language needs of employees and employers has been collected, the next step is to evaluate the ESP textbook. One of the commercially available textbooks frequently used by local instructors to teach English for Business is International Express (Taylor 2003), a general English course for working adults at different levels with student and teacher editions and audiotapes. This textbooks stated objective is to teach English for work, travel, and socializing. My goal was to evaluate the degree to which this textbook met the English language instructional needs as identified by the employers and employees in the local hospitality industry.13 E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m | N u m b e r 3 2 0 0 9

Table 1: Language Topics and FunctionsLANGUAGE TOPICS 1. Geography: description of places and natural landmarks; distances2. History: local historical personalities, sites, events, and traditions3. Time: present, past, and future actions and events; duration of activities4. Weather: seasons; temperature extremes; types of storms5. Food and Drink: local cuisine; restaurant menus 6. Sports and Pastimes: local teams; parts of the body; leisure activities; games7.Music:localbands;traditionalmusicalinstruments 8.Customs:festivals;holidays;religiouscelebrations

LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS

Interpersonal Exchange Greetandsaygood-bye Introduceoneselfandothers Beginandendconversations Askforrepetition Checkcomprehension Changethesubject Interruptappropriately Professional Exchange Askforandgiveinformation,suggestions,anddirections Makereservationsandtravelarrangements Describepeopleandplaces Telltimeandchangecurrency Makepoliteinquiriesabouthealth,likesanddislikes Makeapologiesandrespondtocomplaints Expressregretandsympathy Makeandreplytooffersandrequests Makeinvitationsandgiverecommendations Raiseandcounterobjections Createinvoices,faxes,memos,andletters