The formal syllabus

The formal syllabus is referred to as the structural or grammatical

syllabus it is the most powerful and will tried type of syllabus in language
teaching. Having its roots in the description and analysis of classical
languages

Q. what knowledge does the formal syllables focus upon?

It focuses upon the systematic and rule-based nature of language

itself. Paying great attention on the working of subsystems of phonology,
grammar, lexis or morphology and more recently discourse as text.

Adopting Halliday's (1973 -1978) distinction between the textual,

ideational and interpersonal functions of language and the underlying
knowledge that each of these entails.

we can see that formal syllabus gives priority to how the text of
language is realized and organized it gives only a supportive role to the
meaning of ideas conveyed through language (ideational knowledge) and
to the ways in which we behave socially with language (interpersonal
knowledge).

A formal syllabus will ignore the latter two systems, but it takes the
systematic features of the textual nature of any language as driving force
or carrier of the other two.

Q. what capabilities does the formal syllabus focus upon?

1. How to be correct or accurate in his or her production in the new

language.

This is related to the capabilities we need in a language and

terms of being textually correct in our use of the four skills.

Although the essence of correctness is in how we produce

spoken or written text, it is assumed that listening and reading
skills must serve and contribute to our productive skills.

2. Identifies language use with skill use and processes that the skills
be worked upon in a sequence from the receptors to the productive.

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Q. on what basis does formal syllabus select and subdivide?

On the basis of the linguist's analysis of the various subsystems, it

will identify pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and morphology and
the structural features of discourse. Particular syllabus will select those
aspects of each subsystem which are taken to be appropriate to the level
of the learners for home the syllables is intended.

Given that language is hierarchical in nature the syllabus design of

further subdivides what is to be learned from large units e.g. Sentence
types, declarative, interrogative, etc. The verb system, discourse structure
etc, into smaller units which the superordinate units contain e.g. mortality
verb inflections, pronunciation of particular phonemes or contrasts
discourse markers etc.

Q. How the formal does syllables sequence what is to be learned?

Formal syllabus anticipates that a Learner will gradually

accumulate and combine the various parts of components of the new
system.

It predicts that a learner will need to master a basic grammar or

vocabulary, for instance, and subsequently added to and refine what he or
she knows concerning each of the main subsystems until they can be used
accurately in a unified way.

The criteria for sequencing

1. Linguistic complexity, formal syllabus represent developmental

from what is simple in terms of form, structure, or rule towards
what is complex.
2. frequency of occurrence of linguistic features
3. usefulness of certain aspects of language in comparison to other
aspects.

The formal syllabus will, therefore, be sequenced primarily from

simplicity to complexity, but in ways which may also honour frequency
of usage to less frequent usage, or from most useful structures,
vocabulary to less useful.

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The rational for formal syllabus

There seem to be for main arguments in support of formal syllabus

for language teaching:

1. A non-trivial argument is that it is well established and it is

informed by a loan tradition of linguistic analysis.
 many teachers find it familiar
 learners have been successful in acquiring a new language having
been taught on the basis of this type of syllabus.
 formal syllables represent a well-tried formula for the language
teaching profession.

2. The second major justification

 it presents learners with a subject matter which is systematic
and rule-governed so it would reduce the learning load.
 formal syllabus has the potential to provide the learner with
generative knowledge. The learner can get access to a great deal
by coming to know a relatively limited amount. That is to say a
finite system of rules which underlie a finite range of textual
realizations.
 it imposes order upon the apparent chaos of what is to be taught
and learned
3. A third justification for the formal syllables is that the linguistic
system is analyzable in certain ways, these analytical categories or
schemas can be incorporated in a plan for teaching the system
which makes it easier for the learner to uncover how a new
language works.
4. a fourth main rationale a learner can exploit his or her capacity for
categorizing experience for seeking regularities in that experience,
and for looking beneath the surface of things to discover how they
work in order to learn the language more easily.

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 Being metalinguistic about the new language will help the learner
to understand and control it in a more efficient way.

A problem in this argument.

Is that the learner will impose his or her own interpretation upon
the new language. If the learner superimposes his or her order on the new
language regardless of how we organize it, then there may seem little
point in our designing a syllabus in the first place.