Of shoes-and ships-and sealing-wax: A dynamic systems approach to language curriculum orientation¹

1. The article was presented in a shorter and slightly different version as my inaugural lecture on 3 November 2009, Stellenbosch University.

Abstract

The conversation topics raised in Lewis Carroll's poem ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter’ serve as a metaphor for (among others) the nature of current language curricula. The article traces the background and implementation of language learning theories using the generic First Additional Language curriculum as a case in point. With reference to sociolinguistic language acquisition theories and complexity theory, an attempt is made to show how the curriculum fails and how steps can be taken to revolutionise language curriculum design.

Notes

1. The article was presented in a shorter and slightly different version as my inaugural lecture on 3 November 2009, Stellenbosch University.

2. The Further Education and Training (FET) band refers to the educational phase following on the first nine years of compulsory schooling in South Africa.

3. Please note the work by Pala et al. (2008) in this regard. The electronic resource that they are developing is not strictly a thesaurus but an electronic tool that develops semantic networks.