ABSTRACT
‘Language Awareness’ is defined in a number of different ways. In Britain, Language Awareness is particularly associated with an educational movement, the purpose of which is to make students in schools more conscious of ‘the nature of language and its role in human life’ (cf. Brumfit, this volume; Donmall, this volume). As a macro-educational issue, this movement takes as its common theme the view that increasing students' conscious reflection on the language (s) they use will enhance the development of their human potential by making them more aware of the influence that language has on them and that they in turn can exercise through language. This view argues that increased conscious reflection on language by students and teachers leads to improved language use and better overall education. The direction of this relationship is from awareness to development, with development being understood in macro-human terms.
