Language awareness and linguistics: A response to S. Borg

This paper analyses positions adopted in S. Borg's ‘Language Awareness as Methodology’ (Language Awareness, 1994) from the points of view of linguistics and the philosophy of science. Language awareness is valuable in language teaching. It appears, however, to lack coherent theoretical and methodological underpinnings. In particular, some attitudes in language awareness are inconsistent with fundamental thinking in linguistics and the philosophy of science. A coherent view of language awareness must incorporate commonplace components and distinctions in linguistics and views of method and theory in the philosophy of science. There is no need for language awareness to repeat the mistakes and long process of development which has gone on in linguistics.