Role of Semantics in English Language Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Although, it is obvious that linguistics, as a science of language, has an essential role in language teaching and learning, manyteachers and theoreticians have not paid a real attention to the roles of its main fields such as the field of semantics, whether that is in ESL or EFL. Teaching and learning second or foreign languages have always been stronger when the features of main fields of linguistics are included. Teachers can build a strong foundation to their learners and with the basics of the language they learn. Knowing the roles of the properties of main fields of linguistics is very important to English language teachers. They help them to introduce specific language skills by using different teaching approaches according to their teaching situations. In this paper, we concentrate on using certain semantic features to improve language competence and performance of learners when teaching English as a foreign language. The goal is raising the attention of English language teachers and theoreticians to take into their considerations the importance of semantics in ELT and always refer to the fact that there are instances where a language teaching theory is strongly influenced by new developments of the fields of linguistics. Linguistics and its fields have been broadening their components about language teaching and learning by the recent manifestation of new levels of phonetics, phonology, syntax, morphology and semantics. These disciplines and their approaches to language and language teaching and learning are of great significance. However, semantics, as a linguistic discipline, has its unique importance in teaching English as foreign language. Its features play a strong role in introducing and improving different language skills. Thus, this article focuses mainly on the functions of certain semantic features that are related to language teaching and learning, in special, a foreign language teaching and learning situations.