What is This Thing Called Language?
by David Nunan Palgrave Macmillan 2007 978-0-230-00848-9
In this, his latest book, David Nunan departs somewhat from his usual pathway, paved with course materials or books on applied linguistics or language pedagogy. This book is addressed to an audience without specialist training in linguistics. Its aim is ‘to raise awareness of language ... the stuff that surrounds us!’ As Nunan remarks, ‘… just as fish are unaware of water … we are rarely aware of the language that surrounds us’. There are nine chapters. Chapter 1, What is this thing called language?, examines the characteristic features of human language, its origins and the design features of language: arbitrariness, creativity and multifunctionality. In Chapter 2, The sound system, Nunan looks at some basics of phonetics and phonology, at the role of intonation, and at issues to do with accents and dialects. Chapter 3, The lexical system, deals with the nature of words and their complex relationship with meaning, and how words are created.
It goes on to introduce readers to the way words form patterns in text and collocation. In Chapter 4, The grammatical system, he looks at Mentalist versus Functionalist approaches to grammar, at issues of prescriptivism, at how grammar works within sentences, and how grammatical choices are influenced by the wider context of meaning. The topics covered in Chapter 5, Doing things with spoken language, include key features of conversation, including turn-taking, coconstruction of meanings and speech acts. He also includes discussion of some special contexts, such as child language, classroom language, e-talk and ‘offlish’ (office English). He concludes the chapter with a demonstration of how spoken discourse is woven together. Chapter 6, Doing things with written language, starts with a comparison of the features of spoken and written codes and moves on to cohesion and coherence of written texts. The second part of the chapter deals with register and generic features of texts. Chapter 7, A first language, is quite short. It examines behaviourist, mentalist and functionalist approaches to first language acquisition. The topics dealt with in Chapter 8, Language at play, include the ubiquity of language play in everyday use, some forms of language humour, such as limericks and spoonerisms, the use made of language play by advertising, and a more general treatment of the importance of figurative language, especially metaphor, in both spoken and written language. The final chapter, Looking ahead: the future of language, examines the position of English as a world language, at language variation within English, and at language death. There is a brief postscript, in which Nunan sets forth his view that meaning – or coherence – is made in the mind, so that meaning itself is not a system. Nonetheless, it depends on the linguistic systems available for making meaning. There is a section at the end of the book which gives useful potted biographies of key figures (such as Chomsky, Halliday, etc), a glossary of key terms and a helpful references section.
The book is written in a very relaxed and readable style. Unfortunately, it shows signs of having been put together in a hurry and I found a largish number of typographical errors. Although some sections appear a little disjointed and bitty, the overall aim of making a wider public more aware of language, what it is and how it works, is broadly achieved. I would see it as a useful companion reader for undergraduates in English or language-related programmes, and even as an introductory title for MA programmes – as well as for all those members of the general public interested in ‘the stuff that surrounds them’. Alan Maley Fordwich, UK

Macmillan English Grammar in Context (Intermediate, with answer key)
by Michael Vince Macmillan 2008 978-1-4050-7143-7
There are three levels in this new series of books from Macmillan, which can be used in class or as self-study material. This review is of the intermediate-level book, pitched at students studying for PET or FCE, or those of a level equivalent to the Council of Europe Framework grade B1/B2. The text is arranged into 48 units, each introducing a discrete grammar point (or sometimes function) and providing practice exercises. The CD-ROM adds further practice activities, tests, a useful glossary and recordings of sample sentences. All the major publishers in this market already produce similar titles which serve both teachers and students well. Here, in comparison with English Grammar in Use (CUP) and Oxford Practice Grammar (OUP), the explanatory grammar notes at the beginning of each unit look a little bare, without pictures and with few diagrams to help more visual learners. However, what does set this book apart is the approach alluded to in the title. The author has attempted to enliven the material and engage with learners by contextualising the grammar in subject categories. In ‘Trivial Pursuit’ style, blue practice sections are based on geography, lilac indicates a focus on science, and history, the arts and social studies are also included.
The idea is an interesting one, and the text will be particularly suited for teaching teenage learners, who can link the material with their other school subjects. For their adult learners, teachers can pick and choose sections to reinforce classroom input, build vocabulary or prompt discussion. The practice item style is also a good fit for those studying towards Cambridge ESOL exams, although other students are not excluded. Overall, this book adds something new, which current grammar practice books do not offer – if you are considering a supplementary or selfstudy text, it is well worth a look. Darren Elliott Nagoya, Japan

The Language Teacher’s Survival Handbook
by Lindsay Clandfield and Duncan Foord iT’s Magazines 2008 9-788-48837-810-1 One notable section in The Language Teacher’s Survival Handbook is entitled ‘If only I had known …’. These words could easily have been the title of this book because, as you leaf through its pages, you start to wish it had been around when you started teaching. If the typical initial training course were a DVD, this book would be the ‘extras’: all the good stuff they had to leave on the cuttingroom floor due to time constraints.
There are two major aspects to The Survival Handbook. On the one hand, as authors Lindsay Clandfield and Duncan Foord point out in their introduction, you can never have too many practical teaching tips. There are a good number of these sprinkled liberally throughout the book, taking up where most initial training courses leave off. Young learners and ‘in-company’ classes are covered in some detail, for example. However, the majority of tips are multi-purpose, suitable for a range of day-to-day teaching situations. Highlights include the article which offers hints on how to assemble a ‘teacher’s survival kit’, based on the essential miscellanea that experienced teachers carry to every class. And as one would expect from a book called The Survival Handbook, there are also a number of zero-preparation ‘emergency’ lesson ideas. However, this book is much more about how to survive ‘being an English language teacher’, so much of the content focuses on what happens outside the classroom. On the first page, the authors provide space in which to write important reference numbers, email addresses and contact details, making it clear from the outset that this is not a book to be read and discarded; it is designed to be a practical field guide to the uncertainties of post-certification life. At your wits’ end with the negative attitude of your colleagues? You’ll find some useful suggestions for beating the staffroom blues in this book. Want to know what IELTS stands for? There’s a handy guide to ELT acronyms.
Particularly useful is the aforementioned ‘If only I had known ...’ article, a checklist of sensible questions first-time teachers should ask during a job interview. Many teachers will cringe as they read this part of the book, having learnt their lessons the hard way. Other articles provide advice on topics as diverse as culture shock, how to avoid burnout and what to do if the photocopier breaks down. Almost all of the advice is spot-on. While clearly aimed at novice language teachers and focused on practical solutions to the common problems they encounter, the book’s short articles and engaging quizzes also aim to arouse curiosity in any reader. It is the stated hope of the authors that teachers will be interested enough to pursue the topics in greater depth. Professional development is discussed as one of the ways of avoiding burnout and ‘keeping the flame alive’. As a result, even experienced practitioners should find something to inspire them. How much do you know, for example, about the weird and wacky history of teaching methods? There’s a quiz in this book to help you find out more. The Language Teacher’s Survival Handbook is a highly accessible read: slender, colourful and made up of magazine-style articles ideally suited to the lifestyle of the language teacher. Each is short enough to be digested in a few minutes, providing a stimulating way to fill those annoying gaps in the timetable. This also means you can carry it from company to company without worrying about backache. So if you are just starting out on the adventure that is English language teaching, you’d do well to get your hands on this book. And if your candle starts to flicker and burn down after a few years, pick it up again. You might just learn something new. Mark Bain Sabadell, Spain

Destination B1 Grammar & Vocabulary by Malcolm Mann and Steve Taylore-Knowles Macmillan 2008 978-0-230-03536-2 (B1) 978-9-606-62007-2 (B2) 978-9-604-47105-8 (C1 & C2) Destination B1 Grammar & Vocabulary and its series companions for levels B2 and C1 and C2 are practice books focusing on the grammar and lexical items learners will need in order to approach exams at the given levels. The levels refer to those outlined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, and Assessment (CEFR). These books will be of particular interest to candidates preparing for the Cambridge exams, but will also be helpful in preparing for the numerous other exams and tests linked to the CEFR.
The organisation of the books is straightforward and intuitive. Many of the exercise formats are reminiscent of those found in the Cambridge ESOL exams. Other exercises employ tried and tested gap-fill and matching formats. The emphasis is on thorough language coverage rather than novel formats or innovative page design. At the back of each book are some short revision tests. These are photocopiable for classroom use, indicating that the publishers are also aiming the book at teachers and language-teaching institutions. There are reference banks of phrasal verbs, collocations, word formations, etc. Each book has around 250 pages of densely packed but well-organised language input and practice material.
These are not exam preparation courses – there is nothing on the four skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). What they do offer are thorough and easy-to-use grammar and vocabulary supplements to exam preparation courses, conveniently packaged in single volumes. In summary, these books offer profitable supplementary self-study grammar and lexical work for learners aiming at taking B1 to C2 exams, and they would also certainly be worth considering as additions to the resources library for institutions preparing candidates for those exams. Alison Wooder Porto Ercole, Italy