A descriptive study of the notion of sequencing in English

Abstract

In recent years there has been increasing interest 1n semantic approaches to language teaching. Many writers have put forward alternatives such as the situational and notional syllabuses which emphasize the content rather than the structure of the language as was traditionally done by grammatical syllabuses. However, at present there is a lack of empirical data on which an English teacher can base his or her teaching of the semantic structures of English. Thus this study is carried out to help establish such an empirical base. Data for this study was obtained from two geography textbooks which are widely used in Singapore schools. One specific notion, that of sequencing, is examined. Many different areas of sequencing are looked at. Included in the discussion are chronological sequence, causal sequence, simultaneity, sequence in order of importance and listing sequence. Devices which express all these various categories of sequencing in the two textbooks are counted and discussed. At the same time, this study aims at checking how well this notion is covered in two grammars. The first, A Communicative Grammar of English by Leech and Svartvik (1975), departs from traditional grammars by adopting a communicative rather than a structural approach. The second, A Grammar of Contemporary English by Quirk et al. (1972), has been regarded by many as the most comprehensive account so far of present-day English usage. By providing additional frequency data not covered in these grammars, this study may assist teachers of English in selecting the most useful sequencing devices to focus on in classroom teaching.