The Analysis of Interjections in Two English Coursebooks

Öz

There has been a growing interest in the teaching of interjections in English, as interjections play an important role serving a bridge between verbal and non-verbal communication. However, interjections remain as an under-researched area in English language teaching (ELT). This study explores and compares the use and frequency of interjections in two English coursebooks. Yes You Can (written by non-native speakers of English and funded by the Turkish Ministry of Education) and Touchstone 2 (written by native speakers of English and published by Cambridge University Press) were chosen to collect data. A total of 97 dialogues were analysed. Although the findings indicated similarities between the two coursebooks regarding the functions and meanings of the interjections within the coursebooks, an obvious gap was observed between them regarding the diversity and amount of interjections integrated. The study offers suggestions to material developers, ELT teachers, language learners and authorities.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Interjections
• EFL coursebooks
• material evaluation
• teaching spoken language

İki İngilizce Ders Kitabında Yer Verilen Ünlem İfadelerinin Analizi

Öz

İngilizcede ünlem ifadelerinin öğretilmesi konusuna artan bir ilgi vardır, çünkü ünlem ifadeleri sözlü ve sözsüz iletişim arasında bir köprü görevi görerek önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Fakat, İngilizce dili öğretiminde (ELT) ünlem ifadeleri yeterince araştırılmamış bir alan olmaya devam etmektedir. Bu çalışma, iki İngilizce ders kitabındaki (orta seviyeye tekabül eden) ünlem ifadelerinin kullanımını ve sıklığını araştırıp ve karşılaştırmıştır. Veri toplamak için Yes You Can (anadili İngilizce olmayan kişiler tarafından yazılmış ve Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı tarafından finanse edilmiştir) ve Touchstone 2 (anadili İngilizce olan kişiler tarafından yazılmış ve Cambridge University Press tarafından yayınlanmıştır) seçilmiştir. Toplamda 97 diyalog analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular, ders kitaplarında öğretilen/kullanılan ünlem ifadelerinin işlevleri ve anlamları açısından iki ders kitabı arasında bazı benzerlikler olduğunu gösterse de, entegre edilen ünlem ifadelerinin çeşitliliği ve miktarı açısından bu ders kitapları arasında bariz bir fark gözlemlenmiştir. Çalışma materyal geliştirenlere, ELT öğretmenlerine, dil öğrenenlere ve yetkililere öneriler sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• ünlem ifadeleri
• ELT ders kitapları
• materyal değerlendirme
• konuşma dili öğretimi

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